


Try Again

by Ilsa



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Drinking, F/M, Lisa is not a nice person, M/M, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build Castiel/Dean Winchester, Slow Build Gabriel/Sam Winchester, Teen Pregnancy, underage is not graphic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-20
Updated: 2015-05-16
Packaged: 2018-03-13 21:17:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 27,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3396668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilsa/pseuds/Ilsa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On hiatus until Fall 2015- Gabriel and Castiel Novak are brothers who never really got along until tragedy struck and they found themselves in their mid-thirties with their lives crashing down around them. They turn to each other for help and end up starting a new life in a small Texas town where they meet another pair of brothers who just might be able to help them put the pieces back together again. Family drama, small-town politics, new romance, a dash of humor and the best pies in Texas. (Everybody is human)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Idea

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic I started to help alleviate a severe case of Writer's Block I've been dealing with since November. I have about three chapters outlined, and some good ideas on where I want it to go. It has not been beta'd (if anyone is interested, please let me know). The rating will most likely increase in later chapters, but for now it's safe.

Castiel Novak scanned the nearly deserted bar, blue eyes troubled. He had just left the funeral of his sister-in-law, Kali. He had planned to return to his brother’s house for the post-funeral reception, but decided to follow said brother when he had slipped away from the gathering.

Gabriel was easy to spot with so few other patrons. Even in San Francisco, 10:30AM on a Monday was not a popular time to get a drink.

Castiel was actually relieved that Gabriel had slipped away to the bar. He needed to speak with him privately. It was a conversation that he had been dreading since he arrived three days ago, but was unavoidable. 

He braced himself for the unpleasantness to come and slid onto the stool next to his brother raising a hand to get the bored, bartender’s attention.

Gabriel didn’t even acknowledge him, just continued to stare morosely at the tumbler full of whiskey in front of him. The blond bartender, whose name tag proclaimed her to be “Shelly”, sauntered over with a big fake smile.

“What can I get you?”

“How many has he had?” Castiel asked, ignoring her question.

She flicked her eyes to Gabriel then back to him. 

“Just the one,” she answered, somewhat irritated.

Castiel nodded as if he expected that answer.

“I’ll have the same.”

Gabriel snorted as the girl turned to get Castiel’s drink.

“Really Cassie? What would Michael think?” Gabriel asked, with a hollow laugh.

Castiel responded by straightening his spine and slapping a hundred dollar bill on the bar.

“Leave the bottle,” he told Shelly, who promptly pocketed the bill and walked away leaving the bottle.

Gabriel turned to look at him in surprise. 

“When did you start drinking again?” He asked more seriously.

“Today,” Castiel answered with a determined frown.

He raised his tumbler for a toast, gesturing for Gabriel to do the same.

“To Kali Novak; I didn’t like you, and the feeling was mutual. However, it is with utmost sincerity that I wish for you to find peace… among your demonic brethren as you burn in the fires of hell,” he proclaimed.

Gabriel giggled and slapped a hand over his mouth. It was no secret that Castiel, and all the other Novaks, did not like Kali. Gabriel himself hadn’t really liked her. He’d only started dating her in high school because his oldest brother Michael had pointed her out to him. He insisted that she was bad news and would only end up getting him into trouble. And that she did. 

He smiled fondly as he remembered some of their more daring schemes. Michael had been very upset over their relationship, and that had only made it more fun. After a while, they’d been together so long that it just seemed like more of a hassle to end it than to keep going.

Gabriel ended up using a big chunk of his trust fund to put her through pharmacy school. Michael had been livid when he found out about that. He insisted that Kali was using him for his money and that once she had graduated she would leave him. 

After her graduation, Gabriel took Kali to Vegas to celebrate. He got drunk and told Kali of Michael’s warning. Kali had insisted on getting married that night. Today would have been their twelve year anniversary. 

“Anything you’d like to add?” Castiel prompted, pulling his thoughts back to the present.

“Happy Anniversary, Baby,” he toasted looking up at the ceiling then turned and clinked glasses with Castiel.

Gabriel sipped at the strong whiskey, but Castiel attempted to down the whole thing at once.

Shelly brought him a glass of water, and Gabriel tried really hard not to laugh as he pounded on his brother’s back. 

“So you were going to visit before you found out about Kali. What did you want to talk about?” Gabriel asked after the coughing fit had subsided.

“I’m leaving Amelia,” Castiel announced, as he poured more whiskey into both of their tumblers.

Gabriel’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Really? Seventeen years of marriage and you’re done?”

Castiel nodded, slowly sipping his new drink. 

“Hmm. What does ‘Saint Michael’ think?”

Castiel had idolized their oldest brother his whole life. As soon as he could walk, he followed Michael everywhere. He wore the clothes Michael wanted him to wear, listened to the music Michael wanted him to listen to, drove the car Michael wanted him to drive, got the job Michael wanted him to have, and married the woman Michael wanted him to marry.

His absolute devotion to Michael was the main reason why he and Gabriel never got along.

“I don’t care what Michael thinks,” Castiel responded, stubbornly downing half of his drink with only a slight cough.

“Words I never thought I’d hear you say,” Gabriel said with a smirk and started to finish off his drink.

“Claire caught Michael and Amelia sleeping together.”

This time it was Castiel pounding on Gabriel’s back.

“Shit, Cassie… I… I am so sorry. Is Claire okay? Are you okay?” He asked once he could breathe normally.

Castiel sighed and shook his head.

Gabriel poured them another round as he tried to think of something to say. Castiel continued speaking before he had a chance.

“It was around last Christmas. Amelia told Claire not to go into our bedroom because she was wrapping presents. I was at work at the time, Claire went to get the mail and slipped on the icy walk. She sprained her wrist and went to tell her mother. She opened the door without knocking and saw… them.” He waved a hand vaguely.

Gabriel remained quiet.

“They’ve been trying to keep her quiet about it by promising that they would tell me soon…” he trailed off and took a big gulp of his drink.

“I’ve never really liked Michael, but I’ve never hated him until now,” Gabriel commented as casually as if they were discussing the weather.

“Oh, it gets worse,” Castiel said with another sad sigh.

Gabriel motioned for him to continue, though he was pretty sure he didn’t want to hear it. Castiel needed to get it out though.

“Claire is only sixteen. Making her keep this kind of secret really messed her up. She… she made some bad decisions, hung out with the wrong crowd, and ended up in jail. Amelia was out of town that night, probably with Michael, and the whole story came out when I got Claire home.”

“Great. So your wife cheated on you with your brother, made your daughter keep quiet about, and now your daughter has a police record. I’m not gonna lie, that all sucks the big one, Cassie. But you and Claire will be okay, and I’ll help however I can,” Gabriel promised.

Castiel nodded and his lip trembled slightly. Then he took a deep breath and finished off another drink. 

“I have a business proposition for you,” he said, turning to face Gabriel.

“What?” 

“Claire and I need to get away from Illinois. You need to stop managing a bakery and open your own. It’s what you’ve always wanted and now that Kali isn’t here to hold you back…” he cut off when Gabriel flinched.

“First off, don’t be a dick. Kali hasn’t been dead a whole week yet, and I’m not in the mood to listen to you trash her… no matter if she deserved it or not,” Gabriel chastised.

“You are right, I am sorry,” Castiel said sincerely.

Gabriel nodded his acceptance before continuing.

“I would love to have my own business, but even with money left in my trust fund, your trust fund, and the life insurance from Kali, it still wouldn’t be enough to open a business and compete. Do you know how many amazing bakeries there are in San Francisco?” He demanded.

Castiel shook his head and held up a hand to stop Gabriel’s rant.

“That’s why we would open that bakery in the small town of Kentan.”

Gabriel stared at Castiel in disbelief. 

“Where?”

“It’s in North Texas. My divorce attorney told me about it. It’s his hometown. He actually just got a new job there to help manage some properties. Some rich Scottish guy recently bought most of the town hoping to clean it up and bring in tourists.”

“Your divorce attorney is quitting his job in Chicago to move to nowhere, Texas to try and save a dying town, and you think we should pack up and follow him?” Gabriel demanded.

Castiel just stared at him expectantly.

“Kali would have hated that idea,” Gabriel said finally.

“So would Michael,” Castiel said, primly.

Gabriel grinned.

“Cassie, I will go with you to look at the property. No promises though, okay?”

Castiel flung himself at Gabriel ecstatic. 

“I knew coming to you was the right thing to do,” Castiel said, then hiccuped.

Gabriel smiled, feeling genuine affection for his little brother. And even though he thought the whole idea absurd, he knew how much Castiel needed a win. And really, what reason did Gabriel have to stay in California now? 

“Alright, brother, we have half a bottle left to finish,” Gabriel said, gently pushing Castiel back onto his own stool.

Castiel happily poured another round.

“Anything else I need to know about before I’m too drunk to care?” Gabriel asked, not expecting an answer. So of course, he got one. 

“Yes. Claire is pregnant.”


	2. Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some background on the town. Gabriel and Castiel arrive in Texas. Gabriel meets Sam Winchester.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is later than I had intended. It actually would have been even later if Fort Worth wasn't covered in ice right now so I didn't have to work. I would like to reiterate that this fic is not beta'd. I go over it myself, but it's very difficult to catch all of your own mistakes. Thanks for the kudos!

The town of Kentan, Texas was very small and very secluded. It took about an hour to drive from town on a dirt road before you reached a highway. It had a population of just less than 1000 that got lower with every census.

The town was dying, and the few families that wanted to remain had just about given up hope. Then Fergus Crowley came to town from Scotland. He invited himself to what probably would have been one of the last town hall meetings that Kentan would ever have.

Obviously a born salesman, this slick talker painted a fantastic picture of a majestic small town revived. He stoked the fires of inspiration in the desperate people who had been grudgingly making plans to move. The money he brought would allow them to stay and keep their businesses. He wanted to renovate all of the buildings along Main street, but be sure to keep the original structures. The town had history and he believed that cleaned up and marketed correctly it could thrive once again.

The people wanted to believe it was possible, but they also understood that loans had to be paid back. If Crowley’s idea did not work they would be the ones in financial ruin while he would simply move on to his next project.

Crowley was a shrewd business man, and had expected their resistance. Which is why he came armed with a new assistant to oversee the project, local golden boy Sam Winchester. He was the typical small town kid who dreamed his whole life of leaving to live in the big city.

Sam turned 18 and hit the road, bright enough to get into Stanford where he graduated with honors. He was working for a large firm in Chicago where he mostly handled divorce cases when Crowley found him. It was easy to convince Sam to come and work for him. Crowley knew that the ones who leave small towns spend most of the rest of their lives wishing they could go back. All he had to do was give Sam a reason to.

It was obvious that Crowley would succeed as soon as Sam took the podium. He had grown up with these people and they trusted him.

Crowley was confident that his plan would work. He would get back three times as much money as he put into it… once the new highway was complete. Luckily for him, no one else seemed to know about the highway expansion. It would bring all kinds of new people to the town and Crowley would make sure that they had plenty of things to spend their money on when they arrived.

 

 

 

 

 

“That was the most terrifying experience of my life,” Gabriel proclaimed as he climbed out of the small plane and planted both feet solidly on the tarmac.

Castiel rolled his eyes at the exaggeration. It may not have been the smoothest flight, but they hadn’t been in any real danger.

“And now we have to drive another thirty miles to get there? Are you sure you want to live this far away from civilization?” Gabriel demanded as they headed into the smallest airport they had ever seen.

An amused chuckle had Gabriel whipping his head around to tell off the eavesdropper, only to find himself speechless.

The man was very tall, built like he spent the majority of his time in the gym, had shampoo commercial worthy hair, and teeth so white they gleamed. If it wasn’t for the unfashionably worn jeans and abundance of plaid, you would have thought he stepped out of an Abercrombie catalog.

The smile was genuine, and the guy had kind eyes. Gabriel had to be at least ten years older and began to wonder if the guy would mind the age difference. He immediately dismissed the thought, as he did every time he found someone attractive since he married Kali.

His whole body froze as it occurred to him that he didn’t have to dismiss those thoughts anymore. Kali was gone. Not only was it okay to be attracted, he could actually act on that attraction. How terrifying.

“Sam. Thank you for meeting us,” Castiel said, shaking the guy’s hand.

“Not a problem. I'm just glad you guys decided to come check out the town,” Sam said, eyes flicking to Gabriel curiously.

Gabriel opened his mouth to introduce himself but all that came out was an odd little squeak. He turned to look at Castiel for help, but his brother simply tilted his head at him in confusion looking like an overgrown bird in a trench coat.

Before the silence could get too awkward, Sam held out a hand.

“You must be Gabriel,” he said.

Gabriel nodded, captivated by the sight of Sam's much larger hand covering his own.

“I suppose the flight affected him more than I thought,” Castiel offered, frowning slightly.

At Castiel's words Gabriel snatched his hand back and cleared his throat.

“Flying... I uh, hate it,” he muttered. Suave.

“Well, the flying part is done. Just about an hour and a half of driving now,” Sam said, leading them out the door and to the small parking lot.

“Wow, that's the biggest car I've ever seen,” Gabriel said when Sam unlocked his black Hummer.

The lawyer blushed and climbed behind the wheel.

“Shotgun!” Gabriel called knocking Castiel aside in his haste to reach the door first.

Castiel grabbed his brother's sleeve and yanked him away from the car.

“What is wrong with you?” He demanded.

Gabriel huffed and batted Castiel's hands away from him.

“I'm still a little shook-up from the flight, it's probably best I ride up front so I don't vomit all over the back seat,” Gabriel lied.

It was clear by the look that Castiel gave him that he wasn't buying it.

“Just get in the car, Cassie,” he huffed and climbed into the passenger seat.

He let out soft whistle at the interior.

“Not really what I pictured a big shot Chicago lawyer would drive,” he commented to Sam, playing with the seat adjuster.

Castiel settled into the backseat with a disgruntled sigh and shut the door.

Sam nodded as he backed out onto the road.

“Yeah, it's not fuel efficient, or environmentally friendly but it's great on these roads. You do not want to get stuck out here.”

They were quiet for a few minutes as Sam drove onto the highway.

“So what made you decide on the Hummer?” Gabriel asked trying to keep himself from staring at Sam's strong forearms as he drove.

“I had a Prius for a couple of months. I ended up getting stuck on a back road and had to walk almost ten miles just to get cell phone reception. Then it was another three hours of waiting before the tow arrived.”

Gabriel snorted.

“What's so funny?” Sam asked.

“Just trying to imagine you crammed into a Prius,” Gabriel teased.

Sam laughed with him.

“Well, I definitely don't miss the lack of leg room,” Sam admitted, stretching slightly.

Quiet descended again, interrupted by a soft snore from the backseat. They shared a smile over that.

Sam continued his explanation a few minutes later.

“My uh, dad passed a couple of years ago and left me this monstrosity. I was going to sell it, but after one trip to the airport I realized I was never going to find anything I liked better.”

Gabriel stiffened and turned to look out the window.

“Sorry about your dad,” he mumbled.

He could feel Sam looking at him.

“Castiel told me about your wife,” he said.

Gabriel nodded and kept looking out the window.

“No offense, Sam, but it's only been a few weeks and I just...” he stopped, unable to continue talking with the lump that had formed in his throat.

“No, it's fine Gabriel. We just met, and I wanted you to know that I know. You don't have to say anything, I get it.”

Gabriel nodded, grateful.

“So Castiel seems to be holding up pretty well,” Sam commented, changing the subject.

Gabriel seized the new topic with gusto, vilifying Micheal and Amelia probably more than they deserved, but Sam was good audience.

It was easier to talk about Castiel's misfortune than his own, though it did bring back his anger over the whole situation. Sam seemed to pick up on Gabriel's mood and subtly changed the subject to baking.

“I wish I could tell you how good that pie was, but my brother ended up eating the whole thing before I got a bite,” he said.

Gabriel had sent Castiel home with several pies after the funeral, he wasn't aware that his brother had given one to Sam. He didn't mind, though he wished Sam would have gotten to at least taste it.

“He ate the whole thing?”

“Yes. In one sitting. But he had a really bad day and pie is kind of his favorite thing in the world. Well, other than his '67 Impala,” Sam admitted with a fond smile.

“Well, I'll just have to make you another one,” Gabriel said, before describing the different kinds of pie he liked to make.

Sam encouraged this topic and soon they were discussing the specifications of the different shops that were available to become Gabriel's new bakery.

“I still can't believe this might actually happen,” Gabriel said, feeling his excitement grow.

“I've wanted my own bakery since I was a kid. Kali insisted on staying in San Francisco because that was where she could make the most money, but I knew I'd never be able to afford to open my own business there. I did enjoy managing one though, I never really had the freedom to try out a lot of ideas I had. And Kali would never eat my creations because she didn't want to get fat, so most of what I made I donated to local homeless shelters and soup kitchens...” he trailed off and sighed again.

“Sorry for rambling,” he apologized, and hoped that Sam wouldn't start any new conversations as he was tired of talking.

Once again, Sam picked up on his mood and launched into his own ramble about the town, Crowley, and what they were hoping to accomplish.

Sam was obviously in love with his town and dedicated to restoring it. Gabriel would never admit it, but his decision to move to Kentan and open a bakery was made before they even crossed the town border.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, Claire comes to town and Castiel meets Dean.


	3. Claire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire comes to town ready for a fresh start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dean is in this chapter, but it ran too long so the actual first meeting b/t him and Cas will be next chapter.

Claire Novak sighed and rested her clammy forehead against the window in the passenger seat of her dad’s new gold RAV-4. 

“Feeling okay honey?” Her dad asked, eyes darting between her and the road. 

She did her best to smile, but it was more of a grimace. 

He frowned, but she shook her head at him.

“It's morning sickness, Dad, it's normal. And it will pass soon,” she assured him, turning her gaze back to the window. 

The reminder of her pregnancy made her father clam up like it always did. Claire hated that. Out of everything that had happened to her family in the last few months it was disappointing her father that bothered her the most. 

There were so many things she wished she had done differently, but it was all too little too late. 

She had had to make a lot of tough decisions in the past few weeks. Deciding to live with her dad had been the easiest one in her opinion, though it seemed to have shocked everyone else. Her mother had been outraged and acted betrayed. Her uncle Micheal had sternly ordered her to change her mind prompting her other uncle, Gabriel to yell at him to stay out of it. Her mom and dad had joined in the resulting argument that quickly descend into to yelling and swearing at each other bringing up past grievances that Claire really wished she could un-hear.

Her dad's lawyer, Sam Winchester, had gently tugged her out the door and down the hall to a small break room. She gratefully accepted a water bottle from him and sank into one of the plastic chairs around a small table. 

“Well, go ahead,” Claire had said, sipping her water.

Sam had just looked at her in confusion. 

“Tell me what a terrible mistake I'm making. Give me your advice on how I should live my life. That's all everyone ever does anymore,” She had said, bitterly.

He had just looked at her silently for a moment before sighing. 

“Can I tell you a secret? I hate my job,” he had said. 

Claire hadn't been expecting that, and had no response. 

“I became a lawyer to help people. I thought that this was the best place to do it, but all I ever get are divorce cases. It's terrible spending your days watching families fall apart. I really hate it.”

And just like that, Claire quit felling sorry for herself. Sam Winchester had done everything right, college, top of his class, great paying job, but he still ended up unhappy and regretful. 

“Claire, your sixteen years old. You know both of your parents pretty well now, the good and the bad. If you truly think that your best shot at being happy is to be with your dad, then do it.”

And that had been that. 

Her father had not been as excited as she had hoped. Ever since she made her decision he kept looking at her with an anxious and slightly fearful expression. She had hoped that once they got to Texas he would relax, but seeing as how the entire ride from the airport had been filled with awkward silence, that was not going to happen. 

Claire loved her dad, and she knew that he loved her. She had hurt him with her bad choices, and lost his trust. It would take time to repair the damage. She understood this, but she couldn't figure out how to talk to him. She really missed talking to him. 

After what felt like the longest car ride of her life, they finally arrived at their new house. 

It was an older, but well built two story, two car garage, four bedrooms three and a half bath house. They would be sharing it with Uncle Gabriel, but at least she would get her own bathroom. For the last few weeks her dad and uncle had split their time between the house and the new bakery painting and cleaning. There was still more to do, but the house actually looked pretty good. 

Claire got out of the car and stretched. The nausea she had been struggling with for the whole car ride had finally stopped and her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn't eaten breakfast. She smiled down at her still-flat belly feeling hopeful about her new start. 

The sound of a startled gasp had her looking over to the house across the street. A very attractive man with dirty blond hair, green eyes, and full lips in a leather jacket had opened the driver side door of a black Chevy Impala but stopped before getting in to stare at her like she was a piece of meat. 

Claire blushed and turned away from him a little freaked out. The guy was obviously a lot older than her and after everything that she'd been through she had no desire to make anymore 'mistakes'. She turned to see if her dad needed any help getting her suitcase down from on top of the car and flushed with embarrassment. 

In struggling to untie the ropes from the suitcase, her dad's polo shirt had risen up out of his khakis and put a wide expanse of bare skin from his lower back on view for the world to see. Claire turned back to look at 'attractive guy' across the street and was startled to see that it was her dad and not her that had captured his interest. 

The guy finally noticed her watching him. He looked down, embarrassed, then looked back up at her. He gave her a friendly wave and a wink then slid into the car and took off down the street.

Her father dropped the heavy suitcase down in front of her, panting with effort. 

“What?” he asked upon seeing her amused smile.

“Hmm? Oh, nothing... The place looks great,” she said, quickly changing the subject. 

Her dad warmed to the new topic describing their progress and plans for the front yard as they entered the house. 

Claire loved her room. There were two large windows with window seats, a double bed, a dresser with a mirror, and a small desk. The walls were bare and white, but her father had promised to let her choose the colors and decor she wanted when they went shopping the next day. 

He left her to unpack and she lasted about fifteen minutes before the smell of her uncle's cooking had her searching for the kitchen. 

“Hey Uncle Gabe,” she called as she walked into one of the biggest kitchens she had ever seen. 

“Claire, you made it! Great, I need another guinea pig,” he said happily motioning for her to sit on a bar stool at a breakfast bar that over looked a long granite counter.

The other stool was already occupied.

“Sam? What are you doing here?” she asked her dad's lawyer as she slid onto the stool. 

He shrugged apologetically and pointed to his mouth that was too full to speak.

Gabriel laughed.

“Oh, Sammy here sometimes comes over on his days off to help out in exchange for the best food on the planet,” he said with a wink, then slid a plate in front of her with six different kinds of freshly baked bread and a plethora of homemade spreads.

“My brother and I are terrible cooks. Trust me, a little menial labor is nothing for this,” Sam said between swallowing and stuffing another piece of bread in his mouth. 

Claire giggled as Gabriel practically preened at Sam's complements. 

The oven beeped and her uncle scampered off to check his pies.

“So, you like the house?” Sam asked, sipping a coke.

“Oh yes, it's very nice,” she said with a smile. 

They quietly ate and watched the entertainment that was her uncle as he sang along with a radio and danced around the kitchen as he stirred, mixed, and pulled different concoctions out of the convection oven clearly in his element.

“So, do you live nearby?” Claire asked, making conversation.

Sam nodded.

“Yes, I actually live across the street with my brother, Dean.”

Claire turned to look at him, eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Does your brother drive a black Chevy Impala?”

Sam blinked at her and nodded.

“Did you see him?”

“Uh, yes. He was leaving when Dad and I arrived,” Claire explained, carefully. 

“Wait, you saw the elusive Dean Winchester? Do tell!” Her uncle was suddenly right in front of them and looking at her intently.

“I'm not sure what you want me to say,” she confessed after a minute of silence.

Sam just laughed it off.

“Don't mind him, Claire. Gabriel has been wanting to meet Dean since I told him my brother ate his entire pie at one sitting. Dean owns the only car garage in town, and with all the workers coming in to fix the town up he's had a lot more business than he knows what to do with. It doesn't leave a lot of time for socializing, which isn't his favorite thing anyway. I haven't seen him for more than a couple of minutes at a time for a few weeks now,” Sam explained.

Claire mulled over the information trying to decide if she wanted to reveal exactly what Dean had been doing when she saw him, but Sam's phone rang. It was his boss, Crowley, needing Sam to come into the office asap. 

Gabriel sighed in disappointment, but handed over a large brown sack full of food to Sam.

“We'll see you at the bakery tomorrow morning for the last planning meeting?” Gabriel asked.

“Of course. Then we can all grab lunch at Jo's. The Grand Re-Opening is tomorrow and I promised her I'd stopped by,” Sam answered as he left.

Claire excused herself a few minutes later to finish unpacking. She set her laptop up and sighed with relief when she saw the wifi password scribbled on a sticky note stuck to the desk. 

The best part of this move was that Claire did not have to go to school. She only really needed a few more credits before she could graduate, so her Dad had helped her to find an on-line and correspondence way to finish school. Claire had been such an excellent student, that her teachers at her old school had gladly helped her to set it all up. It was late February and with the current schedule, Claire would be able to get her diploma by November. 

She looked forward to the freedom of taking her time and keeping her mind occupied without having to deal with the gossip her condition would inevitably bring. 

Claire decided to go ahead and start on her school work. Three hours later, she was done for the week. 

She frowned as she shut down the laptop. On second thought, this wasn't going to keep her busy at all. She sighed. Maybe she should get a job or something.

 

The next day was cold and dreary. 

Claire was glad she had unpacked some of her cold weather wear, and her dad seemed pleased to have an excuse to wear his trench coat again. Her uncle teased him, singing 'Inspector Gadget' every time he put it on. 

The drive into town only took a few minutes, so Claire didn't mind riding in the backseat. She still got a little queasy though. 

After getting a grand tour of her uncle's bakery, Claire asked if she could look around town while they had their meeting with Sam and Mr. Crowley. 

A lot of the shops were empty with no signs yet. She passed a few with 'coming soon' signs in the windows, but there was barely anything actually open. Jo's was bar and grill was open, though Claire decided not to go in as they would be having lunch there later. She kept walking, her mind wandering back to her idea of getting a part time job somewhere. 

She had walked for a good twenty minutes when she realized she need to find a bathroom fast. The closest building that looked open was Winchester's Garage and she made a beeline for it. 

She was dismayed to see the closed sign, apparently they didn't open til two on Sundays, but the door was unlocked so she slipped inside. 

“We're closed,” an annoyed voice announced from the back. 

Claire cleared her throat, her need to relieve her bladder growing more urgent.

“Um, are you Sam's brother, Dean Winchester?” She asked, hesitantly walking toward the office behind the front reception counter.

His head popped into view in the doorway, and his eyes widened slightly in recognition.

“Uh, yeah. You must be Claire. Sam's told me about you. I mean, your family... I mean, aw geez...”

“Yeah, whatever, do you have a bathroom I can use?” She demanded.

“Huh?”

If she hadn't needed to go so bad she would have laughed at him.

“Pregnant girl needs a bathroom asap!”

He blushed and pointed toward a side door.

“Thanks,” she said, and hurried through the door.

When she came out a few minutes later Dean was back in the office sitting at a desk and glaring at the computer monitor in front of him. It took Claire a minute to make out his mumbled words as swear words. She was about to thank him and leave when he suddenly threw a calculator at the wall hard enough to leave a dent.

“Uh, having a problem?” She asked, looking over his shoulder to see he had an excel spreadsheet open. 

He jumped to his feet and turned his glare on her. She raised an eyebrow at him and he deflated a little.

“Cars are my thing, not math. That's why I come in Sunday mornings to work the books when no one is around,” he admitted finally. 

“Well, it is my thing. Math, I mean. So, if you need some part-time help to go over the books...” she trailed off when he gave her an incredulous look. 

“You know what, never mind. Forget I asked,” she said and turned on her heel to leave.

“Wait, Claire!” Dean cursed and hurried after her. 

“What?” she demanded, embarrassed that she was so close to crying.

Dean noticed and it upset him. 

“Did you really expect me to hire you on the spot because we're neighbors? Because you know my brother?” He demanded.

Claire huffed and looked down.

“I know, it was just a fleeting thought. Don't worry about it, I'm just extra emotional right now.”

Dean just continued to look at her.

“I thought I'd try to find something part time to keep me occupied for a while as my school work doesn't seem to. I'm sure my Uncle will let me help out at the bakery, but he's got my dad to do the books, and like I said, math is my thing.”

Dean sighed and looked back at his desk then at her again.

“And you know how to do the uh... spreadsheet stuff?” He asked.

“Of course,” she said, fighting a smile.

“Fine. Tuesdays and Thursdays from nine to noon, Saturdays nine to three. We'll try one week, if I'm not happy or your not happy we end it, no hurt feelings. Agreed?” He said, holding out a hand.

“Agreed,” she said, shaking his hand with a smile. 

Her stomach growled then and she looked at her watch.

“I have to go. I'm meeting my dad and uncle for lunch at Jo's,” she explained. 

“I'll drive, let me grab my coat,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would love to know thoughts on this one. It took several tries to get this chapter written, and I'm still not entirely happy with it. I hadn't intended on the whole thing being from Claire's POV, but every time I tried to switch, I realized that she had more story to tell. The next chapter will be from Dean's POV and yes, he and Cas will finally meet. :D


	4. Dean Meets Cas..tiel...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly Dean's POV of the situation, and the beginning of the Destiel in this story.

Sam had told Dean about the Novak family and all of their family drama several weeks before they moved to his town. It had been nothing more than some interesting gossip to Dean at the time and he really hadn't given it much thought. He hadn't had the time to. 

Business was booming and if Crowley and Sam were right, it was only going to grow. Like all of the businesses in town, Dean had some important decisions to make. His two part-time guys, Ash and Garth had already agreed to start working full time. They usually bagged groceries at the Sac-N-Save, the town's only grocery store, in the evenings and were more than happy to quit. 

He had argued with Sam over hiring more people yet. His younger brother was smart and Dean never dismissed any suggestions outright, but he wasn't as confident in Crowley’s plan as Sam was. Dean may not have a degree from Stanford, but he knew better than to put all your faith in one person. Apparently, they didn't teach that at Stanford. 

Sam refused to listen when Dean tried to explain the bad feeling he got from the guy. Not that Dean was a great judge of character, but something just never set right with him about Crowley. He flat out refused to take a loan from the man. 

Sam had been livid, but Dean didn't care. He had some money in savings and with the recent increase of business he had more than enough to pay his guys and get the waiting room at the shop painted and refurnished. He could hire more people later when more money came in. 

Once that decision had been made, Sam had been done 'trying to help'. He concentrated on the Novak Bakery and spent more and more time with them. He helped them to buy the foreclosed house that was across the street, and then spent most of his time off helping them clean and paint. 

At first Dean was jealous of them taking up so much of his brother's time, but then the demand at the auto shop became so great that he wasn't home alone enough to dwell on it. Plus Sam always came home with an abundance of food. He hadn't met Gabriel Novak yet, but Dean would swear the guy made the best peach pie in the world. 

The first time Dean saw any of the Novaks was on Saturday when he had run home for lunch and to check the mail. He was actually walking out to his car to go back to the shop when the gold RAV-4 pulled into the drive across the street. A pretty blond girl got out of the passenger side and stretched then patted her stomach with a small smile. He knew right away that she must be the sixteen year old that had gotten knocked up. Her name was Clara or something... 

Then his eyes moved to the man trying to get the suitcase down from atop the car. He had messy black hair, and a lithe build with pale skin. His shirt rode up in back as he reached and Dean was suddenly hit with a desire to go run his hand along that smooth stretch of skin. 

Dean hadn't realized he was staring, until he noticed the girl looking at him with an astonished expression on her face. Great, his new neighbor’s daughter had just caught him checking out her old man. It had been quite a while since he had gotten laid and it was starting to show. 

He gave the girl a small smile and wink, then got in the car and got out of there. All day the image of Gabriel's brother, whose name Dean could not remember, was stuck in his head. He hadn't even seen the guy's face for crying out loud, but he still couldn't stop himself from thinking about him. 

Even though Dean was exhausted when he got home that night, he still waited up for Sam to get home. At first his brother had been suspicious as they ate Gabriel's pie around midnight, but Sam loved talking about Gabriel, so it had been easy for Dean to get the information he wanted. 

The girl's name was Claire, and her father's name was Castiel. Castiel had a degree in business management, but had spent most of his career in accounting and marketing positions. Sam continued to talk about Gabriel and how he felt the baker was finally getting close to opening up to Sam about his dead wife, but Dean had stopped paying attention. 

He had been after information about the man with the idea of possibly seducing him, but now Dean began to wonder if Castiel might be able to help him make some business decisions. Sam had mentioned that the Novaks had brought their own money for the bakery, so maybe he'd be willing to give Dean some advice that didn't revolve around Crowley's plans.

The next morning he was at the shop to work on the books when he got a special packet in the mail regarding the new healthcare law and what his responsibility as a business owner would be. Great, more decisions to make. 

Claire had come in the shop then, ignoring the closed sign. He stuck his foot in his mouth, but she'd merely insisted on using his restroom. 

Dean had been truly shocked when she'd asked him for a job. Nothing would make him happier than to turn over the math stuff to someone else. But to hire a pregnant teenager just didn't seem like a very smart move. Especially since she hadn't asked her dad yet. And then she'd turned away with tears in her eyes and he melted. 

Maybe her father would be glad that Dean was giving his daughter a chance and would be wiling to help Dean with the business stuff. 

He couldn't have been more wrong.

 

Castiel Novak considered himself to be a very patient man. He was never quick to judge or lose his temper. Even when his wife had cheated on him with his brother, he hadn't yelled or even raised his voice.

It really was inexplicable, the rage that came over him as he watched his sixteen year old pregnant daughter in the passenger seat of a car with a man old enough to be her father behind the wheel. 

Sam saved him, stepping in front of him to greet his brother and Claire. Upon seeing the anger in her father's eyes she quickly explained that she had walked too far and Dean had offered to drive her to Jo's to meet them. 

An innocent occurrence of course. He was being stupid, but then if it wasn't innocent it wouldn't be the first time he was duped.

The anger was very hard to let go of, but Castiel managed to hide it at least as they were all seated at a large round table. 

All through lunch Dean kept giving Claire these odd looks, but she just shook her head at him. At one point, Castiel was sure that Dean had kicked her foot under the table. Claire had yelped, but pretended it was a hiccup.

“That's enough,” he finally snapped.

“Why do you keep looking at Claire like that? What is going on with the two of you?” Castiel demanded, the anger back in full force.

“Nothing,” Claire lied quickly.

Dean rolled his eyes at her and turned to Castiel.

“Claire asked me for a job, and I told her I'd give her a trial run for a few hours next week,” Dean said.

Castiel felt the anger hit him again full force.

Slowly, he stood from his seat.

“Come on, Claire. We are going home,” he said through clenched teeth. 

Claire blinked at him, startled and opened her mouth to explain, but he shook his head at her.

“I don't want to hear it. Get your butt in the car now,” he commanded, trying to keep his voice low and steady. 

Claire sent Dean, Sam, and Gabriel an apologetic look but quickly did as she was told.

“Cas, wait, let's talk about this,” Dean protested.

The man tensed and turned to face Dean with a glare.

“The name is Castiel, and I will deal with you later,” he bit out and then left.

Dean had never been so turned on his life. 

Gabriel let out a slightly hysterical giggle once Castiel and Claire were gone. The brothers looked at him, but he just shrugged. 

“So I hear you like my pie,” he said to Dean who nodded and faked a smile.

Gabriel sighed accepting that he was not going to be able to change the subject.

“Thank you, for giving my niece a job. Castiel will thank you too, once he thinks about it,” Gabriel assured him.

“I don't know Gabe, I've never seen Cas that upset,” Sam pointed out.

Gabriel nodded. 

“Exactly. He's been hurt and forced to start his life over and he's cool as a cucumber. My brother has always been a bit different when it comes to emotions. He is always so emotionally unaffected when bad things happen. And then all of a sudden some small and insignificant slight will just set him off. He'll get over it though.”

Dean looked uncertain.

“He's scared of Claire right now. He so afraid of doing something that will hurt her or send her running back to Amelia. They'll talk, he'll see what an ass he was being and he'll apologize,” Gabriel promised.

Dean still didn't look convinced, but let it drop and asked about the bakery.

They spent the rest of the lunch, that Gabriel insisted on paying for, making small talk. Then Sam and Gabriel went back to the bakery and Dean went to open the garage.

There wasn't much business at the shop that afternoon, and Dean was able to close at five o'clock. He drove home trying not to think about Castiel and Claire. Maybe he would call up his ex, Lisa and see if she was interested in having some fun. 

All thoughts of Lisa flew from his mind when he saw what awaited him on his front porch. 

It was Castiel, and he was sitting on the welcome mat looking at his hands and muttering. A half empty bottle of Enchanted Rock Vodka sat beside him with no lid. 

The blue eyed man stood up unsteadily as he approached.

“I'm s-so sorry,” he said, in a low gravely voice that made Dean feel warm all over.

Before he could respond, Castiel tripped and feel against him. Dean automatically wrapped his arms around him to keep the man from falling to the ground.

Castiel pulled away from Dean quickly, then turned and emptied his stomach onto the front lawn.

He turned to look back at Dean and started giggling.

Dean sighed, but he was fighting a smile. 

It was going to be a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sabriel seems to be slipping to the back at the moment, but I hope to do more with it next chapter. From here on out, I don't have a lot planned for this fic. I'm kinda just letting go and seeing where I end up. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks for the Kudos and Comments!


	5. Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (mini-chapter) Dean tries to find out why a drunk Castiel came to see him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a teeny tiny update. I've been working hard all week to finish my Gabriel Big Bang Submission and I'm happy to say it is finished. (Look for it next month) :D Unfortunately I have had little time to work on anything else this week. I was going to try and get a whole chapter out today, but I really need a break before I have to go back to work tomorrow. So here is a little Destiel scene that would work fine as an ending to last chapter.

Castiel sat at the Winchester's kitchen table and sipped at a cup of coffee. He made a face.

“Don't want coffee. Where's my vodka?” Castiel demanded, only slightly slurring.

Dean shrugged as he poured another cup of coffee for himself.

“I don't know,” he lied, smoothly.

Castiel frowned at his own cup, but took another sip.

“So, Castiel, what you brings you to my house tonight?” Dean asked, taking a seat across from his inebriated guest. 

The very attractive man wearing a ridiculous trench coat squinted at Dean as if the question confused him. He looked around warily.

“I'm at your house?”

Dean snorted, but didn't say anything. 

After looking around the whole kitchen, Castiel's bright blue eyes landed on Dean again.

“I'm at your house!”

Dean smiled and nodded patiently.

“Yes you are. But why are at my house?”

Castiel frowned again.

“You let me in.”

The mechanic sighed, about ready to give up.

“Oh! I came here to tell you that I'm sorry.”

Dean blinked, surprised that Castiel could remember that. 

“Sorry for what?” He prompted. 

Castiel scrunched up his nose as he tried to remember. Suddenly his eyes widened. 

“I was rude.”

Dean nodded and sipped his coffee. 

“You gonna tell me why you were rude?”

Castiel sighed. 

“I thought you had... bad intentions toward Claire,” he admitted. 

Dean's eyebrows raised at that. 

“Really man? She's just a kid! I would never-” He began, but the other man held up a hand to stop him. 

“I know. My anger was re-ratio, er irrational,” Castiel explained. 

“It's okay Cas... tiel. I get it,” Dean said looking away. 

“No, you don't! I loved my brother,” he responded with an angry look. 

“You were in love with Gabriel?” Dean asked in confusion when it became clear that Castiel wasn't going to say anything else. 

Castiel wrinkled his nose. 

“No, Michael. I mean, I loved Michael and Amelia. And they would never hurt me, but they did,” he pointed out as if it all made sense. 

And to Dean, it kinda did. 

“I'm sorry Castiel. I'm sorry they hurt you and I'm sorry that you thought I might hurt Claire. I promise you that I never will hurt her. Or you.”

That promise earned Dean the most adoring smile. It made his stomach do a flip flop.

“Thank you, Dean,” Castiel said sincerely, and raised a hand to touch the other man's face. 

Dean froze and waited as Castiel ran his fingers along the mechanic's jaw and down to his lips.

“Hey Dean?” Castiel asked, voice dropping an octave. 

“Yeah?”

“I like it when you call me, Cas.”

Dean smiled. 

“Hey Dean?” Castiel whispered this time.

“Yeah Cas?”

“I think I'm gonna throw-up again.”

End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I plan to have the next chapter up next weekend. Thank you for your patience.


	6. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam and Gabriel get closer, Dean is tired, Cas is sick, and Claire is wise beyond her years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timeline for this fic: Claire gets pregnant the last week of January- making her due date the last week of October, Kali dies the last week of February, currently it is the last week of March. (Claire is 2 months pregnant)

Sam followed Gabriel into the house laden with bags of groceries. The young lawyer had not planned to spend the whole day with his friend, but after the scene at lunch Sam found he didn't want to leave Gabriel alone. 

The truth was, Sam didn't have a lot friends. Not in Kentan anyway. Most of the people he was close to in high school had left town just like him. His more recent friends lived in Chicago and though he kept up with them through the occasional email and facebook post, he wasn't close to them anymore.

Gabriel was like a breath of fresh air in this stagnant small town. They needed more Gabriel's here and hopefully Crowley's plans would work and attract them. Sam spent every free minute he had with the baker just enjoying having a friend again. He would have felt guilty about not spending much time with Dean, but his brother stayed so busy Sam doubted he was missed. Now his friend was acting strange and it bothered him. 

Something had seemed off about the baker all afternoon. The guy talked non-stop, though that wasn't too out of character for him. It was that the easy smiles and joyful laughter suddenly seemed forced. His amber eyes, usually full of mirth and mischief, held fear and sadness. The whole experience gave Sam an uncomfortable ache in his gut, though he still couldn't bring himself to leave. He felt an intense need to 'fix' things. He just had no idea how. 

Claire was sitting at the bar in the kitchen eating a sandwich when they came in. Her face was red and puffy with dried tear tracks on her cheeks. 

Gabriel came to a halt when he saw her, smile dropping off of his face as he studied hers. Her eyes went wide.

“No, it's okay, Uncle Gabe,” she said, hopping off of her stool and hurrying to give him a reassuring hug. 

Sam was surprised to see Gabriel's eyes filling with tears. He quickly set his bags on the counter, then took the bags Gabriel was carrying. He turned his back on the two and began putting the groceries away trying to give them a semblance of privacy. He couldn't help listening and sneaking a peak every now and then. 

“Dad and I talked it out. It's fine. He's over at Dean's apologizing right now,” she said, pulling her uncle toward a chair at the kitchen table.

The baker sat and let out a heavy sigh. 

“I'm so sorry, Claire. I don't know why your father-” he began but she shook her head at him, taking one of his hands in her own.

“This is not your fault, Uncle Gabe. Dad and I are trying to repair our relationship, but it's not gonna happen over night. You can't let things like this get to you. I mean, come on. I'm a hormonal, pregnant teenager. There will be more tears and fights to come,” she warned teasingly.

He smiled a real smile then, and cupped her cheek with his free hand. 

“When did you get so smart little girl?” 

She kissed his cheek and then pulled away with a yawn. 

“I'm going to bed. Goodnight,” she told him and turned to leave.

“Goodnight Sam!” she called over her shoulder. 

“Night Claire,” Sam answered, watching as Gabriel jumped at the sound of his voice. 

It was almost as if the man had forgotten Sam was there. He frowned. 

Gabriel recovered quickly and went to help Sam finish putting everything away. 

“Thanks, Sam,” he said, quietly.

“No problem,” Sam answered. 

The silence between them started to turn awkward for the first time since they had met. Gabriel's eyes darted all over the place and his hands twisted together in agitation. The lawyer took it to mean that he was staying past his welcome.

Sam cleared his throat. 

“I should probably head on home,” he said, and was surprised to see the flash of fear in Gabriel's eyes. 

The shorter man took a deep breath and tried to steady himself. 

“Already? But I promised to make you dinner,” he said, and then hurried to put a pot on to boil. 

Gabriel started pulling ingredients for lasagna out of the pantry and Sam frowned. He could have sworn that Gabriel wanted him to leave, but it would take a while to make lasagna. Sam had never had such difficulty reading his friend. But then, he really only met the guy a few weeks ago. 

“Okay, that sounds good. I'm going to run home and grab my laptop so I can catch up on my emails while you cook okay?”

Gabriel's expression was unreadable as he nodded his agreement. 

Claire was sitting on the stairs as Sam made his way to the front door. 

“Claire? Are you okay?” He asked, concerned. 

She shrugged.

“What are doing?”

“Eavesdropping. I do that,” she told him with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. 

Sam tilted his head at her in question and she rolled her eyes. 

“I just wanted to make sure you didn't hurt him,” she admitted finally, looking at the floor. 

Sam sighed and went to sit a few steps down from her. He was so tall that it put them at eye level. 

“Why would you think that I would hurt your uncle?”

She shook her head. 

“I don't think you would, on purpose. But he- we, him, my dad, myself, we're kinda damaged right now. So far he and dad have been holding it together pretty well. But dad broke a little today, and so Uncle Gabe is having to struggle a little harder to keep it together,” her voice was barely louder than a whisper.

“That doesn't answer my question,” he said, gently.

She looked him in the eyes then.

“He likes you, Sam. I can tell because he acts differently around you. And he talks about you the same way he used to talk about Aunt Kali,” she told him.

Sam's brow furrowed and the ache in his gut got bigger. 

“Are you trying to say that you think your uncle is in love with me?”

Claire giggled.

“No. At least, I don't think so. I meant that he is using his relationship with you to distract him from what he lost. He's grieving and if you suddenly lose interest or he freaks you out by being too needy or something you could end up really hurting him, even though you wouldn't mean to.”

And just like that, everything clicked into place and the ache left him. Sam sometimes had a hard time remembering that Gabriel was a grieving widower. It had barely been a month since his wife had died, and incidents like today would obviously be upsetting. It was no wonder he was acting out of character, and Sam knew the best thing he could do for his friend was prove that he would be there when Gabriel needed him. He felt better now that he had a 'plan of action' so to speak.

Sam gave Claire a small grateful smile, truly in awe of the teenager's wisdom.

“How old are you, like thirty?” he asked teasingly.

She giggled again and stood up. 

“I really am going to bed now. Do me a favor and check on my dad? He doesn't think I saw him take the bottle of vodka out of the liquor cabinet when he left to go talk to your brother, but I did.”

***

Sam entered his house to see Dean sitting at the kitchen table and staring blankly at a cup of coffee.

“Hey Dean,” he greeted, shutting the door behind him. 

His brother nodded at him and yawned. 

“Where's Castiel?” Sam asked looking around.

The sound of retching came from the downstairs bathroom and Sam grimaced. 

“Oh.”

Dean shrugged. 

“He came over to apologize.”

“That was nice of him,” Sam said, pulling his laptop bag out of the hall closet.

“Yeah. Would have been nicer if he wasn't smashed. Maybe...” Dean trailed off touching his face.

“Well, are things okay between you now? Claire said they talked it out.”

The mechanic nodded and rubbed a hand down his face, tired.

“Do you mind if he crashes on the couch tonight? I'm sure he doesn't want Claire to see him like this. And I'd like to speak with him in the morning when he's sober,” Dean said, getting to his feet.

Sam nodded.

“You know what? Why don't you just have him sleep in my bed. Gabe's had a rough day, and I don't want to leave him alone tonight.”

Dean raised his eyebrows at that and Sam frowned. 

“It's not like that, Dean! He needs some distraction and with Castiel staying here I don't want him to be alone. He's my friend,” Sam insisted.

Dean nodded slowly, like he wasn't quite buying it but didn't feel like arguing. 

Sam went up to his room to pack an overnight bag. 

He left, telling Dean to make sure Castiel was done vomiting before he got in Sam's bed. 

***

When Sam returned, Gabriel was sitting at the kitchen table again, lasagna in the oven. The man was staring at a tumbler of whiskey like it held all the answers. 

It was Sunday, and they would probably be up pretty late. Monday was going to suck, and having a hangover did not sound appealing at all. Still, Sam had decided he wanted to invest in this friendship and sometimes you just needed a buddy to get drunk with you. 

He dropped his duffel on the floor and went to grab a tumbler for himself. 

“So it looks like you and Castiel had the same idea,” Sam commented pouring himself a drink. 

“He's drinking?”

Sam smiled. 

“Well, he was drinking. Now, he's vomiting,” he explained sipping the whiskey.

Gabriel frowned. 

“I should go get him.”

“Nah, you should finish your drink. Dean will take care of him.”

The baker considered that for a minute then shrugged and finished off his drink. 

Sam poured him another.

“What are you doing, Sam?” Gabriel asked, looking a little lost. 

“Drinking with you. It's what friends do when one of them is having a tough time,” he explained. 

Gabriel thought that over and nodded. 

“Okay, but don't think you're gonna make me talk about... stuff,” he said, a little sullenly.

Sam smiled again.

“I wouldn't dream of it.”

***

Sam groaned as he was rudely awoken by the spill of sunlight that came streaming in through the living room windows when Claire opened the curtains. He closed his eyes and moaned a little at the crick in his neck and the pounding in his head. Apparently he had fallen asleep sitting up on the couch.

“Rise and shine,” she said, much too happily.

Gabriel groaned alerting Sam to the fact that his friend was sleeping with his head on a pillow in Sam's lap. 

Claire didn't stop with curtains, she opened the windows too even though the late March morning was still a little too cool. 

Sam finally got his eyes to focus and noticed that Claire looked green. 

“Are you sick?” He asked her, as a wave a nausea hit him and he had to close his eyes again.

“Morning sickness is not helped by this place smelling like whiskey and burnt lasagna,” she complained, breathing in the fresh air coming through the windows. 

“Sam?” Claire asked, gently smacking his face to wake him again. 

Sam started and Gabriel grumbled at being jostled again.

“Sam, my dad didn't come home last night,” she said, sounding worried. 

Sam yawned. 

“Yeah, he's with Dean,” Sam muttered, trying to get comfortable again. 

“What? He slept with my boss?!” She shrieked. 

Both men woke up a bit more at that and blinked at her in confusion. 

Sam shook his head.

“No, he got drunk and slept in my room so I came over here,” he explained and rubbed his eyes.

Claire sighed in relief. 

“Okay, well you two need to get up if you want to make your nine o'clock meeting with Mr. Crowley.”

Sam jerked and looked at his watch. They had an hour. He sighed with relief. Crowley was already unhappy that Sam hadn't returned to the office after lunch the day before, they could not be late today. 

“C'mon Gabe, get up,” he said pushing the other man up out of his lap. 

Gabriel groaned again, but did not fall back into Sam's lap. 

The baker was warm with sleep and his hair was sticking up in all directions. He blinked sleepily at Sam with eyes that seemed golden in the sunlight. He looked younger, as if he hadn't picked up the burden of the last few months yet. Sam liked seeing him like that. Maybe more than he should for just friends...

Claire let out a dismayed cry from the kitchen. 

“What the hell happened in here?!”

Gabriel and Sam looked at each other remembering their drunken food fight the night before and started laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Dean and Cas's morning, Claire's first day of work, the bakery opens and Claire makes some friends. Later: The Winchesters discover a long lost brother, and Crowley's spoiled rotten son comes to town.
> 
> I finally have a plan for this story... sorta...  
> I'm going to try to go to two updates a week instead of just one. I should be able to since the bulk of work on my Gabriel Big Bang is complete. Fingers crossed...


	7. Agreement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel cooks, Dean drools, and the guys have a sober conversation regarding apologies, agreements, and favors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is me trying to update more frequently. I just ask you to keep in mind that I was unable to find a beta for this fic.

Dean awoke to the most wonderful smell in the world… bacon. His stomach growled and he sat up in bed eyes widening as he remembered the night before. 

He got out of bed noting that it was still pretty early and he had a good hour and a half before he needed to leave to open the shop. He stuck his head in Sam’s room and was surprised to see the bed made with military precision. 

Yawning, he made his way to the kitchen and stopped in the doorway. Castiel was standing in front of the stove cooking breakfast. He had removed his trench coat and rolled the sleeves of his white dress shirt up past his elbows. It was the first time Dean had seen him without the coat since the day Claire had arrived. 

Dean just stood and stared for a minute, admiring how snug his pants fit. He must have made a noise because Castiel suddenly stiffened and turned to face him. The easy smile, extra messy hair, and casual way that he tossed a cup towel onto his shoulder made Dean very glad that his sleep pants were nice and roomy. 

“Good morning, Dean,” he greeted and turned back to the stove.

“Morning,” he responded and walked over to the coffee pot happy to see it already brewed.

“What’s all this for?” Dean asked gesturing to the food on the stove as he poured himself a cup.

Castiel shrugged. 

“It’s an apology,” he said, turning the burner off under the scrambled eggs.

Dean took a sip and continued to watch him cook.

“You already apologized last night, remember?”

Castiel gave him a sheepish look. 

“Not really. I remember waiting on your porch for you to come home, but then everything gets fuzzy. I also remember throwing up. A lot,” he explained handing a plate to Dean and gesturing for him begin.

Dean nodded and filled his plate.

Castiel filled his own plate and both men sat at the kitchen table.

“Damn, Castiel! I thought your brother was the cook in the family,” he said, stuffing his face. 

Castiel blushed and ducked his head at the complement. 

“My mother made sure that all of her children knew how to be self-sufficient. I do enjoy cooking, though I don’t get much opportunity to do so anymore,” he confessed.

“Well, feel free to come cook for me anytime,” Dean said, mouth slightly full.

Castiel smiled down at his plate. 

The two men ate in silence for a moment. Well, silence except for Dean’s moans of appreciation. 

“So Dean, you have me at a disadvantage, seeing as how I don’t really remember what we talked about last night,” Castiel said, looking at him curiously.

Dean swallowed and shrugged.

“You apologized for being rude, threw up the coffee I made you drink and passed out in Sam’s bed. To be honest, I’m surprised you aren’t nursing the mother of all hangovers right now,” he said.

“Vodka rarely gives me a hangover no matter how much I drink,” Castiel responded with a flippant wave of his hand. 

“Are you sure I didn’t say anything else?” 

Dean wondered how much he should tell Castiel. The guy was in a pretty good mood, and he didn’t want to ruin it by bringing up his cheating ex-wife and brother.

Dean shook his head, but then smiled.

“What? Oh God, what did I say,” Castiel demanded as Dean’s smile got wider.

“You did say that you like it when I call you ‘Cas’,” Dean admitting, delighting in the blush that went all the way to the other man’s ears.

“Well, it’s a lot better than ‘Cassie’,” he pointed out with a grumble.

Dean laughed at that nodding in agreement.

Another moment of silence passed.

“I’m not upset about you hiring Claire. She told me how it all came about, and I just want to make sure that this is what you really want,” Castiel said.

Dean nodded, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

“Yeah, I’m good with it. I mean, I know her situation, but she seems like a good kid. And hell, anyone who can take the math part of the job off of me is my hero,” Dean confessed. 

Castiel tilted his head as he pondered Dean’s words. 

“Yes, but surely you can find a better quality candidate than a pregnant teenager,” he pointed out.

There was anger and hurt in Castiel’s voice. It suddenly occurred to Dean that, while Claire may be accepting of the hand life had dealt her, Castiel was still struggling with it. 

“Look Cas, I’ve made my decision. As her father, it’s ultimately up to you though.”

Castiel studied his face for a moment before he sighed and shrugged. 

“Claire always has excelled at math. Maybe a job will keep her busy and out of trouble. Okay, Dean. I’ll let Claire work for you part-time, but I need you to keep me informed about her progress. Good or bad.”

“I can do that,” Dean agreed and shook the hand that Castiel held out to him. 

They nodded at each other and then Castiel stood up and started to clean, but Dean stopped him. 

“No man, you cooked, the least I can do is clean up,” he protested, but Castiel shook his head. 

“I told you this is my apology to you-”

“And I told you that you already apologized last night. However I could use a favor if you're interested.”

That made Castiel stop and look at him. 

“Of course, Dean. Whatever you need,” he answered in his low gravely voice. 

Dean made an odd noise in the back of his throat and quickly fake-sneezed to cover it. 

“Bless you,” Castiel said, completely buying it. 

“Yeah, uh, feel free to say 'no' if you don't have time or just don't want to do it. I know with the bakery set to open in a week you'll probably be way too busy... you know what? Don't worry about it. Do the dishes,” Dean said, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously.

Castiel put the dirty plate he'd been holding back down on the table and crossed his arms across his chest.

“No. I want to know what you were going to ask me to do,” he insisted. 

Dean sighed. 

“Okay, we'll it's like this. Sam mentioned that you and Gabriel are funding this new business yourselves,” he said. 

Castiel nodded. 

“He and I both have pretty sizable trust funds, and Kali had a good life insurance policy.”

“Yeah, so most businesses in this town have had to get a loan from Crowley to make repairs, renovate, upgrade, and whatnot. In fact your bakery and my auto shop are the only two I know of that didn't.”

Castiel blinked.

“Hmm, I did not know. That gives Mr. Crowley quite a bit of power over this town.”

“Exactly! See, Sam and I have been arguing because he wants me to take a loan from him too. And I'm not saying that he's a bad guy, but do we really want to give him complete control of the town?”

Castiel shook his head. 

“No. I agree that so far he seems pretty decent, but you are right.”

Feeling better now that he had Castiel on his side, Dean decided to go ahead and ask. 

“So since my dad passed and I've been running the shop by myself I've actually been able to put away some money to make my own renovations. Nothing real fancy, but enough. And with business picking up like it has been lately I don't see the need to get a loan at all.”

The other man nodded again, but tilted his head in question. 

“So what do you think I can do for you?”

“I was wondering if you would be willing to look over my books, policies, and things. I wasn't lying about sucking at math, and Claire is going to be a big help with the ledgers and stuff. But with all the new healthcare policies and the fact that I'm going to be employing full-timers now, I'd really like some advice from someone in business management. You know, someone who doesn't have their head so far up Crowley's ass they can't see the light of day,” Dean explained. 

Castiel snorted and grinned. 

“I'd be happy to offer whatever advice I can.”

“Great! Thanks so much, Cas,” Dean said, standing and reaching for the dirty plate. 

Castiel snatched it up before he could reach it.

“C'mon Cas,” Dean protested. 

“Let's compromise. I'll wash and you dry,” Castiel said and turned to the sink before he could answer. 

Dean laughed and shook his head. Castiel was hot, funny, an awesome cook, and a cleaner. Dean wondered what kind of dumbass would ever cheat on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next: Claire


	8. Speculation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire makes a new friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is all Claire, but the next will contain Sabriel and Destiel- I hope to have it up tonight, tomorrow at the latest to make up for the long wait.

Claire sat in a booth at Jo’s and eagerly reviewed the menu while sipping a ginger ale. She had spent most of the morning shopping, and the seat across from her held several bags full of her purchases, though not everything she needed. At the moment, the only open stores that had necessities were the Sac-N-Save and a specialty boutique that mainly carried clothing and accessories for older woman catering to the antique hunters that made up the majority of Kentan’s tourists.

The closest department store was too far away for Claire to get to by herself, and with this being the last week before the bakery opened, she doubted her dad would have time to take her anytime soon. 

Dean had not said anything to her about a dress code, but she knew that her dad did not believe wearing jeans to work was professional. She wanted to make a good impression, but had a limited wardrobe that could be considered professional. Her stomach growling only served to remind her that what she did have wouldn’t fit for much longer anyway. She finally just decided to order stuff online and hope it looked right. 

Decision made she turned to find her waitress, Lisa, looking down at her with annoyance. The waitress was a pretty woman in her mid thirties with dark hair and eyes. Unfortunately her skin was beginning to take on a slightly leather-like appearance from too many tanning bed sessions.

“You gonna order food or not?”

Claire blinked in surprise at her rudeness. Before she could respond, a younger waitress walked up.

“It's time for someone's cigarette break. I got this Lisa,” she said and sent a wink in Claire's direction as the older waitress left without a word.

“Don't take it personally, kid. She's been having a rough week,” the waitress, whose name-tag declared her to be Meg, confided with a shrug.

Even though Meg had called her 'kid' the girl didn't appear to be much older than Claire. She had her long black hair pulled back in a high ponytail and wore dark lipstick and eye shadow to accentuate the paleness of her porcelain skin. 

“Oh, I had wondered what I'd done to upset her,” Claire admitted staring off in the direction the other waitress had gone. 

Meg looked around the nearly empty diner and then plopped down on the bench across from Claire, being careful to shift her packages over and make room. 

“It's not you exactly. It's really anything that distracts Dean Winchester from pining after her,” she said, playing with the salt and pepper shakers.

“Oh, is she his girlfriend?”

Meg snorted. 

“No. Well, I think they dated years ago in high school, but they broke it off before graduating. She hooks-up with him every few months though. They'll have a wild weekend, then call it quits before 'something real' happens. She's pissed because he turned her down for a booty call last night. And Jenny Porter said she saw one of your dads leaving his house this morning,” the girl ended with a sly grin at Claire. 

 

“One of my what? No, it's my dad and my Uncle Gabe. They are just brothers going into business together. If it does well, I'm sure dad and I will get our own place,” the teenager defended with a frown.

Meg held up her hands in a placating way, though her grin remained playful. 

“Hey, I don't know if you've noticed, but this town is pretty damn boring. So when newbies arrive the gossip flies. Most of it's made up, but come on, it's not like we get a write-up of our new neighbors. We have to watch and speculate for the most part.”

Claire took another sip of ginger ale as she pondered that. 

“You could always just ask,” she said, finally. 

Meg tilted her head in skepticism.

“If I asked, would you tell me?”

Claire thought for a moment, then answered with a question of her own. 

“If I tell you, will you tell anyone else?”

Meg laughed and nodded enthusiastically.

“Then no.”

“Then don't be offended by the speculation.”

The two girls stared each other down for a moment, then Claire's stomach let out a loud growl.  
Meg smiled and looked away.

“Alright, I've taken a long enough break. What can I get ya?” She asked, whipping out a pencil and small notepad. 

Relieved, Claire ordered the ham and cheese scramble with a side of salsa. Not really a salsa fan, it had surprised her when she suddenly started craving it a few hours prior. It must be a pregnancy thing. Weird, but still better than the nausea she had woken up with.

Claire watched Meg's ponytail bob up and down as the waitress scurried off to turn in the order. Meg was the first person close to her own age that she had met in this town. She was surprised at the sudden longing she had to confide in the girl. 

Claire had always been more of a loner, though she had a few friends here and there. Her life had been pretty boring up to a few months ago, and for the first time ever Claire really wished she had someone to share her thoughts with. The problem was that Meg had already admitted that she was a gossip, so anything Claire told her the whole town would hear about. 

The teenager placed a hand on her stomach and sighed. The whole town would learn her biggest secret soon enough no matter what. So it wasn't the thought of the town gossiping about the freak show her life had become that made her hold her tongue; it was the thought that Meg wouldn't want to be her friend when she found out. 

Claire hadn't even realized she was crying until Meg set a box of tissues in front of her. 

“Thank you,” she mumbled, wiping at her face. 

Meg let out a heavy sigh and sat down again. 

“I may not know what you are going through, but I can promise that you'll be okay.”

“How could you possible know that?” Claire scoffed and blew her nose. 

“I'm actually pretty good at reading people. Those men you live with may not be your two dads, but it's obvious that they care about you. You yourself must be pretty smart and resourceful to get Dean Winchester to offer you a job your first day in town. Even town hero Sam Winchester speaks highly of you.”

Claire felt a wave of affection for the girl and gave her a watery smile. 

“Meg, don't be making the customer's cry. We want dem to come back,” said a large beefy man with a Cajun accent.

He placed Claire's food in front of her then tuned to snap a towel at Meg. 

“Lazy waitresses making the cook deliver the food,” he grumbled, but it was playful. 

Meg darted out of his reach and stuck up her middle finger. 

“Got to give you some exercise, Benny, or you'll get fat,” she teased and winked at Claire. 

The man looked offended, and quickly raised his t-shirt to show off his hard muscled abs. He may be big, but that was pure muscle under those clothes.

“What you think, Cher? Am I getting fat?” He asked Claire with a grin. 

The teenager blushed and looked down at her food.

Meg snapped the towel back at Benny and it hit his bare stomach with an audible pop that made him swear at the sting of pain. 

“Go away, Benny, let the girl eat in peace,” Meg chastised. 

He scowled at Meg, but nodded politely to Claire before heading back to kitchen.

“Don't worry 'bout Benny. He wouldn't hurt butterfly,” she assured her.

Claire shrugged and focused on eating. She let out a moan at the taste and her stomach gave a happy gurgle. 

Meg laughed again and left to seat a customer that had walked in. 

Claire continued to shovel in her food, stopping occasionally to sip at her drink. She loved her Uncle Gabe's cooking, but sometimes a girl just needed some greasy dinner food. The salsa had made it perfect just as she had thought it would. 

Meg returned about ten minutes later with another ginger ale for Claire and a Diet Dr. Pepper for herself. She had removed her apron along with her name tag. 

“Now, I'm on a real break,” she explained, sipping her drink.

“So about Benny,” Meg started.

“Oh, I'm sorry about that. I've never been very confident around guys, and I guess you could say something happened a few months ago that's just made me a little skittish.”

Claire expected Meg to start asking her questions, but she only nodded and then proceeded to tell Claire all about Benny Lafitte and his ex-wife Andrea. His wife had cheated on him with his best friend Desmond while Benny was in Afghanistan fighting as a US Marine. He came home with horrible PTSD and had barely stepped foot in his house when he was served with divorce papers. 

“He turned into a raging lunatic. The littlest things would set him off and he would be so deep in his hallucinations, it wasn't safe to be around him. His mama was about to have him committed, when Dean intervened.”

Despite the fact that Claire wasn't normally one for gossip, she really wanted to know more. The situation was too much like the one her dad was in for her to just ignore it.

“Dean and Benny both swear that all they did was camp out at the lake and fish for a week. But he came back a different man. He's a little slow on the uptake sometimes, but he's gentle and very sweet. It's weird cause he and Dean never really hang out, but once a year they'll just up and take a fishing trip together. It's why Lisa doesn't like Benny,” Meg explained with another grin.

Claire smiled back, enjoying the conversation. What had happened to Benny was sad, but she could tell by the way Meg spoke that she cared about the man. 

She was suddenly overcome by the desire to know if Meg would ever be her friend, or if her knowing Claire's secret would scare her away. She didn't want to wait to get to know her better first, because it would only hurt more if Meg decided to stay away from her.

So she took a deep breath looked Meg in the eyes, and told her what the girl had been wanting to know.

“My Uncle Gabriel's wife died. My mom cheated on my dad with their older brother, my Uncle Micheal. I know this because I caught them in bed together.”

Meg's eyes widened but she didn't say anything, so Claire continued.

“It messed me up, because I love my mom, my dad, and both of my uncles. When it first happened, my mom made me keep it a secret from my dad.”

Meg's eyes narrowed, but again she remained silent.

“I hated being at home and having to lie to my dad and deal with my mom's reminders that I had promised not to say anything, so I started hanging out with kids that liked to party. Their parents were never home so I could always stay as long as I wanted. They tried to get me to do drugs with them, but I never did anything worse than a beer. I wasn't there to have fun, just distract myself until my mom was ready to come clean to my dad. And then one night there was something much stronger than beer in my cup. It was a crazy night and I woke up in the back of a cop car. I was charged with underage drinking and drug possession. I called my dad to get me, and told him everything. My Aunt Kali died a few weeks later and my uncle and dad decided we all needed a fresh start.”

“Wow. That's much better than what I had come up with,” Meg said after Claire quit talking. 

Claire gave her a look, but knew the girl was just trying to lighten the mood.

“Okay, so that makes a lot of sense. I'm sorry you had to deal with all that.”

“Thanks, but that's not all,” Claire said, wanting to get it all out there. 

“Oh God! Did something happen to you that night Claire? Were you hurt?” Meg demanded.

Claire shrugged and looked down at the table. 

“At first it was fuzzy, but then the memories started coming back. There was a new guy and we... I'm pregnant Meg.”

The other girl was stunned silent for a moment, then she jumped up moved to Claire's side, pulling the younger girl into her arms. 

“You poor thing. Did that bastard rape you?” she murmured, stroking Claire's hair. 

Claire had started crying again and shook her head.

“N-no. It was consensual. I mean, I was pretty buzzed, but it was me that pushed him to... God, I was such a dumb ass,” she moaned, burying her face in Meg's shoulder. 

“You are a lot younger than I thought you were Claire. No wonder Benny intimidated you,” Meg said when Claire finally sat up. 

“Yeah, I get that a lot. I'm only going to be seventeen in July,” Claire admitted, grabbing another tissue to blow her nose. 

Meg sat back on her side of the table and looked at her watch. 

“I've ten more minutes, let's talk about something happier,” she suggested. 

Claire nodded, but couldn't think of anything. 

“Do you know the sex yet? Have any names picked out? What about a doctor? Oh, and have you decided on a theme for the nursery?”

Claire knew that Meg was trying to be helpful, but those questions just brought more tears. 

“N-no. I'm already a terrible mother,” she sobbed.

Meg laughed at that.

“It's okay, Claire. I'll help. They opened up a Baby Depot store in Summerville about two hours away we can go on my next day off. There are a couple of OB's and Midwives there as well if you want to make an appointment. Now stop crying you poor hormonal pregnant teenager.”

Despite her tears, Claire smiled. It looked like Meg was going to be her friend after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really meant to get this chapter up a long time ago, but life kinda bit me in the ass. A lot of tragedy happened to my family this week: a miscarriage, a new cancer diagnosis, and my favorite cousin and best friend who is 3 months younger than me and has 2 kids under the age of 5 was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. So basically my sister, cousins, and I spent a lot of time hanging out and drinking. My writing is crap when I drink. My family seems to be pulling together though, and that's a good thing.


	9. It's a Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fajitas and Bacon Cheeseburgers. Castiel is social awkward, and may have a date with Dean.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm going to stop specifying when the next update will be, because I always feel bad when I'm late. Suffice it to say that as soon as the next chapter is complete, I will get it up! Thanks for all the kind words regarding my family. Things are going much more smoothly this week.

“I'm so glad Cassie had his shit together,” Gabriel muttered as Sam drove him and Claire home.

 

The meeting with Crowley would have been disastrous if Castiel had not attended. Both Sam and Gabriel were tired and hung over and though they had gone over several things the day before, both of them had trouble focusing.

 

Castiel had pretty much taken point and did his best to keep Crowley’s attention on him. Crowley was no idiot, he knew something was up with Sam and Gabriel, but as long as the job got done he didn't care.

 

Satisfied that things were progressing in a timely manner, Crowley called an end to the meeting. Sam had expected to return to the office with his boss to look at other schedules, but Crowley had a plane to catch. Apparently he was having some issues with his son and ex-wife back in Scotland. This essentially gave Sam the rest of the day off.

 

Castiel knew they needed to get out of the bakery so the last minute construction changes could take place. He asked Sam to take Gabriel and Claire home so that he could go over some business stuff with Dean.

 

“I wonder why Dean asked Castiel to help him out and not me,” Sam wondered aloud as they drove.

 

Gabriel shrugged, sleepy.

 

“You're a pretty busy guy. Besides, Cassie probably offered cause he felt bad about making that scene at Jo's yesterday,” he said turning his head to look at his sleeping niece in the back seat.

 

Sam seemed to accept this explanation and decided not to take it personally.

 

Gabriel let his mind wander, and before he knew it Sam was shaking him awake.

 

“We're home,” he said and reached back to nudge Claire awake too.

 

“Thanks for the ride, Sam,” Gabriel said with a yawn and opened his car door.

 

“Your welcome. I guess I'll, uh, see you later?” Sam asked, timidly.

 

Gabriel felt some kind of expectation in the air. Almost like saying goodnight at the end of a date. It might have bothered him more if he wasn't so tired. He yawned again and nodded.

 

“Six thirty tonight. I'm making fajitas,” Gabriel said to him, and Claire squealed in joy.

 

“Awesome, Uncle Gabe!”

 

Gabriel smiled at her fondly and helped carry in her shopping bags as Sam drove across the street. The smell hit them as they entered, and he groaned in annoyance.

 

“I completely forgot about last night's mess. I guess that nap will have to wait,” he moaned with a frown.

 

Claire laughed and shook her head at him.“Let me put these away and I'll come help you,” she said turning for the stairs.

 

“Have I told you that you're my favorite niece?”

 

“I'm your only niece!”

 

_

 

Castiel frowned in distaste as he sipped at his cold coffee, irritated. He had spent the last two hours overseeing the bakery renovations as his brother had been too hung-over and tired to do it. Castiel himself didn't feel great after his over-indulgence the night before, but then he had stuck with vodka while Gabriel had drowned his problems in whiskey.

 

The main reason he was so irritated was that he had planned on visiting Dean's shop this afternoon and make good on his promise to help out. He couldn't leave the bakery with the construction crew unattended and it was taking so much longer than he'd thought it would. It looked as if Dean would have to wait. That made him feel guilty and slightly disappointed.

 

It was odd. Castiel had always been somewhat of a loner, choosing the company of family over trying to make new friends. He was not good at personal relationships. He always felt like he had to force himself to do and say what was expected. Michael had been sure to teach him what was expected at an early age. From pleasantries regarding the weather to asking about one's day; regardless of whether or not Castiel cared. This mundane 'role-playing' seemed to work more often than not, so he stuck with it and soon had a handful of friends he felt comfortable with.

 

However the friends he had had that he was not related to, were ones Michael had introduced to him. They were all Michael's friends first so Castiel was sure they weren't his anymore. Not that he really minded, he hadn't been very close to any of them anyway.

 

Now, other than Gabriel, he didn't have any friends at all.

 

Sam was nice, but he was also the one who oversaw the divorce and probably the most humiliating experience of Castiel's life. It was hard to be casual around Sam when he wasn't sure if the young lawyer was thinking of some of the more sordid details of his train-wreck of a marriage that had been aired in some of the counseling sessions.

 

Dean was the first person he had met that hadn't looked at him with sympathy and pity since the whole mess had begun. Of course, Castiel had almost completely messed everything up at their first meeting. Dean had seemed to understand though, and obviously forgave him. He wasn't sure where that left them. Were they just friendly neighbors now? Would Dean even want to be friends with him?

 

Castiel wouldn't admit it, but he craved the idea of having something of his own without any of Michael's influence. Even if it was just a friendly acquaintance. Suddenly, having some kind of relationship with Dean Winchester seemed very important.

 

The bells over the door to the bakery chimed, and Castiel looked up to see the object of his thoughts enter. Dean was dressed in coveralls smeared with oil. His face was clean though, as were his hands. In those hands was a drink holder with two soft drinks and a paper bag with 'Jo's Bar and Grill' printed on it. The smell of greasy food and sweat followed the mechanic into the bakery and Castiel's stomach let out a loud growl making Dean laugh.

 

It was just after two o'clock in the afternoon, and though they had both had a large breakfast both men were hungry again.

 

“Hey, Cas,” he greeted setting the food on one of the small tables at the front of the shop.

 

Castiel had almost forgotten about Dean's nickname for him. That had to be a good sign between potential friends. Surely Dean wouldn't have bothered with it if he didn't plan to spend time with Castiel.

 

“Sam called and told me about how you got stuck here today. We both figured you probably hadn't had lunch.”

 

Castiel threw his coffee cup into the trash behind the counter and then moved to join Dean at the table.

 

At this point, Michael would expect Castiel say thank you and to ask about Dean's day. Though this was probably the first time Castiel actually cared about asking after a potential friend's day, he just couldn't bring himself to do so. Instead, he said what came naturally.

 

“Your name is short.”

 

Dean blinked and raised eyebrow.

 

“I'm sorry?” He asked, pulling two Styrofoam containers out of the bag.

 

Castiel opened the container Dean placed in front of him and smiled in satisfaction. Bacon cheeseburgers were one of his favorite things in the world.

 

“Your name is too short to make nickname out of,” he explained.

 

Dean smirked and took a sip of his drink. “Why do I need a nickname?”

 

Castiel tilted his head studying the other man for a moment. “Isn't that what friends do? Make up nicknames for each other?” He asked, taking a bite of the burger, but still closely watching Dean's face.

 

Dean took bite of his own burger as he thought over Castiel's question.

 

“Some friends do I guess. I gave you one 'cause your name is weird.”

 

Castiel nodded. It was not the first time someone had said that to him and it's not like he had ever come across another Castiel.

 

“Is that all?” He asked, feeling suddenly as if he might have misread the whole situation between himself and the mechanic.

 

“Is what all?”

 

“Is that the only reason you gave me a nickname? Because my name is unusual,” Castiel clarified, keeping his eyes on his food.

 

“Uh, yes?” Dean responded looking horribly confused.

 

Castiel frowned but didn't say anything. They continued to eat in silence until Dean's face suddenly relaxed in understanding.

 

“Oh! You wanted to know if giving you a nickname meant I think of you as friend.” He stated, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

 

Castiel shrugged, but looked up at him hopefully.

 

“Well, we just met yesterday Cas. But yeah, I guess we're kind of friends already. I mean you made me breakfast, I bought you lunch, our brother's are friends and we are neighbors,” he pointed out.

 

Castiel smiled and Dean gazed at him for a long moment.

 

“That's good to hear, Dean. I'm not... good at making friends,” he admitted.

 

Dean just shrugged and asked how the food was.

 

They spent a few minutes discussing some of the financial issues Dean was dealing with, but without the paperwork in front them they didn't get much resolved. They planned to set aside some time the following Sunday to go over it together at Dean's shop.

 

After that, they exchanged some small talk as they finished the meal and soon the mechanic was leaving. Castiel suddenly felt slightly panicked. He wasn't sure how this had gone, and was afraid that the other man might have been offended by their conversation.

 

“Dean?” Castiel asked causing him to stop with his hand on the door and look back.

 

“Um, do you want grab a drink after work?”

 

Dean blinked and gave him an odd look, before smiling.

 

“Don't you think you had enough last night?” He asked, teasing.

 

Castiel blushed. “Just a beer tonight,” he promised.

 

Dean nodded and walked back over to Castiel, pulling out his cell.

 

“It might be kind of late. We have a lot of cars waiting, and I wanted to get few things set up before Claire comes in tomorrow,” the mechanic explained.

 

Castiel rattled off his phone number so that Dean could add him as a contact.

 

“That's fine. Just text me when you know what time you want to meet,” Castiel answered, and pulled out his own phone.

 

“Great. It's a date,” Dean said with a wink before heading out the door.

 

“It is?” Castiel asked the closed door.

 

One of the construction workers sniggered.

 

_

 

“Cassie, calm down! You probably just misunderstood...” Gabriel said as he chopped red pepper, green pepper, and onion.

 

Castiel had rushed home the second the workers were done and the shop was locked up. Claire was up in her room looking at clothes online and Gabriel was making fajitas for dinner. Sam would be joining them soon, and Castiel wanted his brother's advice without Sam overhearing.

 

“No, he said 'it's a date',” Castiel insisted, running a hand through his hair.

 

Gabriel squirted olive oil into a frying pan and turned on the burner.

 

“Well, it could just be an expression,” he observed, adding the chopped vegetables to the oil in the pan.

 

“An expression? Gabriel, I'm not the best at reading people, but I'm pretty sure that Dean believes I was asking him on a date!” Castiel groaned and buried his face in his hands.

 

Gabriel sighed. “If you aren't interested in him like that, then why did you ask him out?”

 

Castiel was silent for a moment debating what he should say. For so long he had always turned to Michael to help interpret odd social interactions. He didn't want Gabriel to replace Michael's influence in his life, but Castiel realized that he was going to need someone to help him out with this kind of thing. He didn't have any other options.

 

So he took a breath and told Gabriel his train of thought regarding making friends without Michael's help. His brother already knew about the social awkwardness, though maybe not the extent. He reviewed the entire conversation that Dean and Castiel had had, and then looked at his brother expectantly.

 

Gabriel left the vegetables to saute, and motioned for Castiel to join him at the kitchen table.

 

“Ok. So, first you should know that when it comes to relationships a friendship is something that just kind of develops on it's own. Romantic or business relationships are the ones you would discuss ahead of time.”

 

“So what you're saying is that since I discussed friendship with him, he took that to mean I wanted to date him?” Castiel looked confused.

 

“Not the discussion on it's own. But when you asked him out after having a conversation like that... I could see why he would think it was a date.”

 

Castiel mulled that over. “So what do I do?”

 

Gabriel shrugged. “What do you want to do?”

 

Castiel didn't answer, just looked down at his hands.

 

His brother stood and placed a hand on his shoulder for a moment before heading back to the stove to finish dinner.

 

Castiel's phone buzzed.

 

_Garth is gonna close for me. I can meet you at Jo's in 20 minutes.- D_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got good news and bad news. 
> 
> Bad news first- updates on this fic will probably slow down soon as I want to get started on my Dean/Cas Bing Bang. I will not abandon Try Again, but I only have so much time to write and I really don't want the Big Bang to sneak up on me unprepared. 
> 
> Good news- My Gabriel Big Bang fic will be posted on May 4th. It is also Sabriel and Destiel, though not AU. Also, I have some ideas for some shorter one-shots you may be seeing on here soon. :D


	10. Taking a Step

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Total Destiel

Dean could count on one hand the number of times he had allowed someone else to lock up the shop for him. Garth was certainly competent enough though he tended to be a bit accident prone. Still, Dean had decided to give the guy a bit more responsibility in the hopes that he could make him an assistant manager or something one day. When Castiel invited him to grab a beer, Dean decided it was the perfect opportunity to try it out.

 

Despite how much Dean loved the shop and having complete control over it, he did dream of a time where he might actually have a whole day off each week. And not lose business by having to close when he took a vacation. Then he might actually have the time to make and maintain friendships.

 

He pulled up to Jo's and got out of the Impala feeling lighter than he had in quite a while.

 

Dean entered, the smile dropping off his face when he saw Lisa glaring at him as she slammed drinks down at a table. He gave her a sheepish, apologetic shrug and turned toward the bar. His smile returned when he saw the trench coated figure at one end, nursing a beer.

 

Jo herself was bar tending that night and she gave Dean a wide grin as he approached the empty stool next to Castiel.

 

She made a big show of checking the large clock over bar and then looking back at him in astonishment.

 

“It's not even six o'clock yet! Who are you, and what did you do with Dean Winchester?” She demanded, teasing.

 

Dean chuckled and slid onto the stool.

 

“I'm letting Garth close up so I can grab a beer with my new buddy Cas,” Dean said, patting Castiel on the back.

 

The other man gave him a confused look, and Dean sent him what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

 

“Cas, this is Jo. She's the owner of this fine establishment,” Dean introduced.

 

Castiel blinked in surprise and Jo laughed. The young blond woman looked barely older than Claire, way too young to be the owner of the 'biggest' business in town.

 

“My mom actually opened the restaurant twenty years ago. She signed the business over to me last year when she and my step-dad retired and bought an RV. Her plan was for me to sell it, but it seems I have a knack for it. First thing I did was get a liquor license and put in the bar,” she said, winking at Castiel.

 

“Thereby making it the only bar in town. Clever,” Castiel said, and took swig of his beer.

 

Jo slid a beer to Dean then moved on to wait on another customer.

 

The two men drank in silence for a moment.

 

“So, I got everything ready for Claire tomorrow,” Dean said.

 

Castiel nodded. “That's good.”

 

At that moment a loud group consisting mostly of the construction workers that were at the bakery earlier entered the bar.

 

Castiel paled and sent a nervous look to Dean.

 

The mechanic frowned at the reaction. Castiel had been fine at the bakery earlier today with same workers, but now he seemed uncomfortable by their presence.

 

Dean waved Jo back over.

 

“It's getting a little crowded. Cas and I are gonna grab a booth,” he told her pointing to the far wall that was out of sight of the bar.

 

“Alright, I'll send Lisa over in a minute.”

 

Dean gave her an annoyed look and the woman laughed. “Fine, I'll send someone else!”

 

Dean gestured for Castiel to follow him to the back of the restaurant. He grabbed a booth that was in a darker corner, hoping to put the trench coated man at ease. At first he looked relieved and relaxed gratefully into the seat. But then his bright blue eyes focused on Dean and the man blushed quickly looking down. His hands were trembling slightly as he reached for his beer and he would have knocked it over if Dean hadn't been expecting it and caught it.

 

“Oh! Uh, s-sorry,” he stammered blushing even more.

 

Dean was trying very hard not to smile. Castiel Novak had to be the most interesting person he ever met. He always seemed completely different each time Dean saw him.

 

“Cas, you okay?”

 

The other man nodded and avoided eye contact.

 

Dean took a swig of his beer. “Okay look. I'm not sure why you are suddenly so uncomfortable, and you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. The point of getting a drink together is to relax and have fun, right?”

 

Castiel looked up and gave him a hesitant smile. “Yes. You're right, Dean. I'm sorry about the way I've been acting. I've had a stressful afternoon,” he admitted and was able to grab his beer without almost spilling it.

 

A waitress, not Lisa, came by a moment later with new beers and a menu. They decided to split an order of the bacon, ranch, cheddar fries. The Rangers' game on one of the TV’s on the wall had them talking baseball and then moving on to other sports, music and hobbies.

 

It was an enjoyable evening for both men, and soon Dean was signaling for the check. It was almost nine o'clock.

 

Castiel snatched the check up before Dean could, handing the waitress his credit card.

 

“We ate food you bought for breakfast and lunch. I can get dinner,” he said as he waved off Dean's protests.

 

Once the waitress brought Castiel's card back, the two men stood from the booth and walked out the door, waving at Jo as they left.

 

Dean was surprise to see Castiel acting all nervous and fidgety again. He was hoping that hanging out tonight would loosen the guy up a bit. Dean had parked the Impala beside Castiel's RAV-4. They stopped when they reached the car.

 

“Well, I gotta get some shut-eye before tomorrow. Thanks for inviting me out tonight Cas,” Dean said and turned to unlock his car.

 

He expected Castiel to say 'goodnight' and get into his own car. However, if there was one thing about Castiel that Dean had learned, it was that the guy rarely behaved the way Dean expected.

 

A firm hand on his shoulder urged him to turn around, and suddenly a pair of warm slightly chapped lips pressed up against his own.

 

Shock quickly turned to lust and Dean tilted his head to deepen the kiss, sighing in delight.

 

Castiel suddenly pulled back with a gasp and turned to face away from him. Dean just stood there blinking stupidly for a moment as his mind tried to catch up. He couldn't see the other man's face, but from behind it looked as if his entire body was shaking.

 

Dean turned Castiel to face him, concerned to see that the man looked broken.

 

“I-I'm s-sorry, D-Dean... I just c-can't..” the man stammered, and Dean was shocked to see an actual tear roll down the other man's cheek.

 

Castiel crying was both beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time, and before Dean could even think it through he pulled the man into his arms. Castiel remained tense, but Dean stroked the man's back and whispered into his ear. “It's alright, Cas. Everything's going to be okay.”

 

Castiel let out a choked sob and then relaxed into Dean's embrace.

 

He pulled back a few minutes later with an embarrassed cough, and put his hands in his pockets. He opened and shut his mouth a few times like he wanted to speak, but wasn't sure what to say.

 

“Let's take a drive,” Dean said, opening the passenger door of the Impala and gesturing for Castiel to get in.

 

Castiel looked at his own car for a moment, then back at Dean, unsure.

 

“It's okay, Cas. I only want to show you something. Less than a mile from here, but still not close enough to walk to this late.”

 

Castiel nodded and slid into the car.

 

They drove in silence for a few minutes, then Dean pulled off to the side of the road and got out of the car. He led Castiel through some trees and shrubs to a small creek with a soft, mossy bank half covered in wild blue bonnets. Dean sat cross-legged and patted the ground beside him. His companion sat and mimicked Dean's posture.

 

“Most of the year this is just a dry creek bed. But in the spring, when we actually get rain, it's a decent creek that's good for fishing.”

 

Castiel listened as the mechanic told him how he had stumbled across it his senior year of high school. It had been a great place for Dean to get away and think... or not think if needed. He hadn't brought anyone out there before, though he was sure he wasn't the only one that knew about it.

 

After a while, Dean fell quiet and just enjoyed the babel of water over stones.

 

“I like you, Dean,” Castiel's voice was low, but loud enough to hear over the water.

 

Dean turned his head and was startled to see that Castiel's eyes were almost violet as they reflected the light of the full moon.

 

“You are the first friend I ever made on my own, without Michael's help. I didn't intend for tonight to be a date, but you said it was.”

 

“I did? Oh, Cas! I wasn't being serious...”

 

“So, you don't want to date me?” Castiel's eyes narrowed.

 

All of a sudden Dean felt like he was taking a test he hadn't studied for. He needed to tread carefully, Castiel was different than anyone he had every been with, and if he didn't handle this correctly, he might blow his chance.

 

“Okay, cards on the table? The first time I saw you, I wanted to sleep with you,” he confessed, pleased that Castiel seemed taken aback by that.

 

“You did?”

 

“Yes. Then I met Claire, we had our run in at Jo's and finally you showed up drunk on my doorstep. At that point I knew you were too interesting to just sleep with. I wanted to get to know you.”

 

Castiel smiled, looking a little awestruck.

 

“So, yes. I'd love to date you, though I'm thinking that you might not be ready for that yet,” Dean told him. Castiel held his gaze for a minute then looked out over the creek.

 

“I don't know what I'm ready for Dean. The thing with Michael and Amelia completely blindsided me, and I feel so foolish that I didn't see it for myself. I don't want to jump into anything, but I like that you are becoming a part of my life and I don't want to lose that. That's why I kissed you,” he admitted sheepishly.

 

“Look Cas, there's no pressure here. We'll go slow...” he began, but Castiel shook his head.

 

“Dean, you have no idea what you're getting into with me. I have so many issues that I'm only now beginning to deal with. I've never been good with relationships or even dealing with people in general really. God only knows when I'm going to lose it again... and with a pregnant teenage daughter I know I will lose it...” he trailed off and looked away again.

 

Dean picked up where he left off as if Castiel hadn't interrupted him. “We'll start as friends and then when or if you feel ready to take that next step you let me know.”

 

Castiel picked at the grass next to him. “That doesn't seem fair to you.”

 

“Don't worry about me, Cas....”

 

“No, Dean. If we are going to do this, then I need to know what you want and are ready for as well. I'm going to pester you a lot about whether or not you are satisfied. Maybe if I'd bothered to ask Amelia, I would have figured things out without Claire getting involved. And speaking of Claire, we'll have to tell her.”

 

Castiel was looking nervous again, so Dean grabbed his hand and held on to it.

 

“We can do this however you want, Cas.”

 

Castiel looked down at their hands then back up at Dean in awe.

 

“What? Do I have something on my face?” Dean teased.

 

The other man shook his head. “No. I just keep expecting you run away screaming. I would.”

 

Dean laughed. “Do you want me to run away screaming?”

 

“No,” Castiel responded, lips twitching.

 

“Well, what do you want me to do Cas?”

 

“Kiss me.”

 

Dean didn't need to be told twice. He dropped Castiel's hand so he could use both of his own to cup the other man's face. He moved slowly, so that Castiel had plenty of time to stop it, but he only closed his eyes and leaned forward to meet Dean half way. His hands grabbed Dean's arms, not to push him away but to bring him closer. Their lips met for the second time that night, and Dean allowed Castiel to take control of it, opening when he felt the other man's tongue licking at the seam of his lips.

 

One kissed turned into two, then three. Finally, Castiel broke away with a breathless laugh.

 

“We're not going to be able to take this slow are we?” Dean just laughed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not real happy with this chapter, but I'm moving on. My plan is to jump ahead a couple of weeks (though it hasn't been written yet so no promises.) Oh, and the rating will be going up soon.


	11. Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Castiel tells Gabriel and Claire about Dean. And we have some Sabriel...

Castiel returned home late that night to find Claire sleeping on the couch. She was curled up, head resting on her arm. She looked so young and Castiel felt a pang of longing for his little girl in pigtails whose heart had never been broken. The pain he felt at Michael and Amelia's betrayal was nothing to the pain and guilt he felt for Claire's suffering. 

“Claire, honey, it's late you need to go to bed,” he murmured, gently shaking her awake. 

She blinked up at him sleepily, then yawned and rubbed her eyes. “What time is it?” 

“Almost one,” he answered, helping her to her feet.

“Hmm,” was the only response he got as he walked her up the stairs to her bedroom. She was already wearing pajamas, so he pulled back her bedspread and helped her into bed. 

“G'night Dad.”

“Goodnight, Sweetheart,” he said and placed a kiss on her forehead. 

He left her room and headed to his own, stopping when he saw that Gabriel's light was on. He knocked softly on the door. 

“Come in,” his brother called and he pushed the door open. 

Gabriel was sitting up in bed surrounded by baking magazines and scribbling furiously into a notebook. He finished writing something, then looked up at Castiel with a smirk and gestured toward the digital clock on his nightstand. 

“So, that must have been some date,” he teased, waggling his eyebrows. 

Castiel blushed and looked at the floor. He didn't really want to tell Gabriel what had happened, but then he felt he needed to anyway. He hated it, but he felt the need for his brother's approval before this went any further. Claire's as well. 

Gabriel frowned when Castiel remained quiet. His brother moved a stack of magazines off the bed and patted the now empty space so he could sit down. 

Castiel debated another moment before kicking off his shoes and crawling onto the bed. He sat cross-legged and clasped his hands in his lap. 

“Dean was teasing me earlier. He didn't think it was a date. Of course I didn't realize this until after I gave him a goodnight kiss...” he trailed off blushing even brighter and staring down at his hands. 

Gabriel gave a soft gasp and bent his head to catch Castiel's gaze. 

“And what happened then?”

Castiel looked up at his brother feeling more embarrassed than he thought he'd be. However, Gabriel's warm eyes held nothing but concern, the teasing completely gone.

“I-I panicked. Everything just kind of hit me then, and I … panicked.”

Castiel stopped talking for a moment as he remembered the feeling of Dean's strong arms pulling him close in the most comforting hug he had ever been given. 

“And? What did Dean do?” Gabriel demanded.

“He drove me to this secluded creek. And we sat and talked under the stars about everything and decided to start by being friends and slowly work up to something more... and then we kind of made out for a little while...” he confessed giving his brother a shy smile.

“That's great, Cassie! I'm very happy for you!” Gabriel laughed in delight.

“Are you, really?” he asked, earnestly.

“I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it,” his brother responded.

Castiel nodded and turned so he could lean back against the pillows propped up by the headboard. 

“So you approve of this? You don't think we're moving too fast?” The anxiety in his voice was obvious and made Gabriel sigh. 

“Do you feel like you are moving too fast?” he asked, instead of answering.

Castiel thought about it for a moment. 

“I think I feel like I should feel that we are moving too fast... but I don't.” He admitted.

“Then it really doesn't matter what I or anyone else thinks,” Gabriel responded with a shrug.

Castiel looked at him sharply and said, “Of course it does. I need you and Claire to be okay with a decision like this. If you aren't then it's not worth it to me. Not right now, anyway.”

Gabriel sighed again. “I'm happy that you are happy, Castiel. I like Dean. Anyone who loves my cooking as much as he does has to be good. That being said, I'm not going to tell you what to do. But whatever you do, I will support you.”

“Thank you, Gabriel,” Castiel said, around a lump that had formed in his throat. 

Gabriel was so different than Michael, and Castiel loved him for it. 

“Have you talked to Claire?” Gabriel asked.

Castiel shook his head. “She was asleep when I got home.”

Gabriel yawned and nodded. 

“She was trying to stay awake to talk to you. She made a friend of a waitress at Jo's who is going to take her to Summerville on Wednesday. Claire made a doctor's appointment and they are going to do some baby shopping. She didn't want to blindside you with it and cause another scene,” Gabriel said, frowning when Castiel flinched at the word 'baby'.

“It's fine. I... I'm actually glad to hear that. Obviously I've not been very good at helping her through this. I'll get better, but she shouldn't have to wait on me...”

“Actually, I have an idea that might help you,” Gabriel announced with a smile.

The two men discussed the idea for another hour before they both fell asleep.

Needless to say Claire, was surprised to find her Dad and Uncle sleeping in the same bed the next morning. She decided to just be glad that they were getting along and continued on her way to shower and get ready for her first day of work. 

_

Gabriel was regretting his late night the next morning. He and Castiel had dropped Claire off at the auto-shop for her first day of work. The teen had been so excited it was cute. Then the brothers had gone to the bakery just in time to meet the first delivery truck. They would be open for business on Saturday, that left four days for deliveries, final preparations and a ton of baking.

He stifled a yawn as Castiel checked in the inventory, and glared at the elaborate coffee machine that did them no good without the coffee grounds that wouldn't arrive until tomorrow. The front door chimed and he turned to see Sam Winchester walking in. The younger man was dressed in one of his expensive suits and carrying a cardboard drink holder with three cups of coffee. 

The morning light streamed through the glass walls and door at the front of the shop providing a heavenly back-light behind the handsome lawyer. Gabriel could almost hear an angelic choir as Sam walked up to him and held out the coffee.

“Marry me,” Gabriel said, grabbing a cup and taking a generous sip.

Sam chuckled. “I'm pretty sure you are supposed to buy me dinner first.”

“I make you dinner all the time. And, dinner is bought before sex, not marriage. Besides, I was talking to the coffee not you,” Gabriel clarified with a wink.

His tone was light and teasing like normal, but his heart was beating faster. It was almost as if Castiel's date with Dean had broken a barrier between Gabriel and Sam. If it was okay for Castiel to have Dean then why couldn't Gabriel have Sam? He wondered if Sam knew about Dean and Castiel.

“So, can I buy you dinner?” the younger man asked, coyly.

Gabriel swallowed, brain stuttering to a halt.

“Um...” he said, flushing.

Sam's laughter rang out through the shop and Gabriel glared when he realized he was being teased. 

Castiel poked his head out from the back to see what was going on.

“I made him blush! I actually made Gabriel Novak blush,” Sam crowed, pumping a fist in the air. 

Castiel laughed, lightly slapping his brother on the back as he walked over to grab a cup of coffee for himself.

“Wow, I don't know that I've ever seen anyone do that before. Good job, Sam,” he said, and sighed blissfully as he inhaled the aroma of coffee.

“I hate you both,” Gabriel pouted, turning away.

“Aw, come on Gabe! You can't be mad at me, I brought you coffee,” Sam pleaded through a grin.

“Don't you have work today?” Gabriel huffed, but he was smiling again.

Sam nodded. “Crowley won't be home until next week so I have to meet with some people who want to open a bed and breakfast. Should be done by noon if y’all want to meet me for lunch at Jo's.”

“Sounds great.”

-

They were all late for lunch. Castiel had to leave soon after arriving to pick up Claire, and so ended up getting his meal to go along with something for his daughter and Dean after texting them for their order.

So it was just Gabriel and Sam for most of lunch. The baker was still feeling a little awkward left over from the morning's encounter, but Sam ended up carrying the conversation. 

“I think Crowley was a little tipsy when he called me last night,” he commented with a grin.

“Oh?” Gabriel asked, taking a bite of his sandwich.

“Yes, he called his ex-wife all kinds of horrible names and then talked for an hour about what an ungrateful lout of a son he has. Apparently the kid got drunk and peed on a cop car... among other things. Crowley is going to be stuck over there for a few weeks trying to keep his son out of prison. Oh, and his wife is refusing to allow their son to continue living with her so he'll have to bring the boy back here!”

“Wonderful,” Gabriel said, sarcastically.

Sam shrugged and took a couple of bites of his salad.

They finished their meal in companionable silence and Sam signaled for the check. 

“I have another meeting this afternoon that will probably run late,” he said. 

“Cassie and I will probably be at the shop pretty late. There's just so much to do... He'll be taking Claire home first though. I've made up some chicken for her to cook in the crock pot for dinner tonight. There will be plenty for you and Dean,” Gabriel offered.

Sam smiled, “I'll text when I'm out of my meeting.”

The waitress put a check in front of each of them, but Sam batted Gabriel's hand away and grabbed them both putting down some cash.

“I have to buy to get sex, remember?” He asked, gave Gabriel a wicked smile and got up to leave.

Gabriel gaped like a fish, then hurriedly pulled himself together. 

“Dinner, Winchester! You have to buy dinner for sex, not lunch,” he called, hurrying after the younger man. 

Sam's laughter made the scandalized looks he received from the other diners worth it. 

-

All in all Claire's first day of work had gone well. She arrived on time and it hadn't taken long at all for Dean to show her everything. She spent her day reworking several of the old spreadsheets between answering calls. Most people just wanted to book appointments for tune-ups and oil changes. She knew she did well and could Dean was pleased with her performance. The only bad thing was when she had stood to use the restroom a few minutes before the end of her shift and got hit by a wave of dizziness. Luckily, Garth had been headed to the restrooms as well and was able to stable her before she could lose her balance. 

She thanked him, saying it was just low blood sugar and she was about to eat lunch. When she got back to her desk, Dean was standing in front of it with his arms crossed. 

“What?”

“You will now have a mandatory break from 10:30 to 11 everyday during which you will eat something.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head.

“Agree, and I won't mention this incident to your father.”

She frowned but nodded. 

Her father arrived soon after and the three of them ate lunch in the office. It was... tense. Conversation was stilted, and though Dean and her dad smiled like everything was fine it was obvious that something was going on between the two men. They kept exchanging looks like they were having a silent conversation. 

Claire was relived when they finally finished and she and her dad left. 

The ride home was filled with idle chatter regarding her first day of work and pending trip to Summerville. 

They pulled into the drive and her dad turned off the ignition.

“Claire, I need to tell you something, and I'm not sure how you are going to react,” Castiel blurted out before she could get out of the car.

Claire stared at him in surprise for a moment before slowly saying, “Okay...”

Her dad took a breath. 

“So you know that I've been spending some time with Dean..,” he began and stopped.

“And?” Claire prompted.

“And we've become friends.”

Claire blinked in confusion. “Um, that's good right?”

Castiel stared at her, entire body tense.

“Dad, you're scaring me,” she said after another long moment of silence. 

Finally, he took a deep breath and spoke in a rush.

“We talked last night, and decided that we... might like to try being more than just friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to go ahead and jump forward a few weeks, but realized these conversations needed to happen first. Next chapter time will advance and it will mainly be Claire's POV.


	12. Surprise Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire has been working for Dean for over a month now. Just when she has begun to relax and enjoy her new life, she receives a huge shock. Sam decides to visit his father's grave and receives a shock of his own

Claire sighed in relief as she slipped into the cool air-conditioned bar and grill and out of the late April Texas heat. There was still eight weeks until Summer but already the highs were reaching the low-90's. Her t-shirt was sticking to her back and she made a bee-line for the restrooms to wash her hands and splash cold water on her face before plopping down into what she had started to think of as 'her booth' at Jo's.

 

The owner herself hurried over and demanded that Claire pull out her cell phone. The teenager did so taken aback by the request.

 

“I listened to your suggestion and got wifi! Here's the passcode, try it!” she demanded eagerly.

 

Claire smiled at the young woman who sometimes joined her and Meg when they hung out. At first she thought it might be weird seeing as how Jo was Meg's boss, but the two women got along great. Now, anyway...

 

According to Meg, they had been sworn enemies in high school, until she saved Jo from drowning in a lake on a school retreat. The two, while not best friends, quickly became friends for life. They bickered quite a bit, but it was mostly in a good-natured way.

 

“Okay, I'm on. Works great, Jo,” Claire said happily.

 

She was very glad Jo had taken her suggestion on the wifi. She could now hang out and do her school work in the restaurant if she wanted.

 

Part of her wished she had gotten a job as a waitress so she could spend more time with her new friends, but then she really did love working for Dean at the auto-shop. It had been a month and since she had been doing so well at juggling all of her responsibilities, she had received a raise and more hours to work.

 

Things had actually been going much better than Claire had ever expected them to. When her father had told her about his new relationship with her boss it had thrown her a little. She hadn't known what to say at the time, until she saw her father's face fall at her hesitation. More than anything she wanted him to find happiness and though this thing with Dean seemed a bit rushed, not to mention odd as she had no idea that her father was attracted to other men, she couldn’t deny that it made him happy.

 

So she swallowed back her protests and tried her best to encourage him. She told him that Dean was a great guy and that she was happy for them. He had seemed so relieved that she knew right away she had made the right decision. They hadn't talked about it much since then, and her dad and Dean were careful to keep everything intimate private so she doubted most people even knew they were dating. She hadn't even told Meg or Jo yet, hoping that things between the two men would either solidify or fade away before they had to deal without outside pressure and unpleasantness.

 

Excited that the wifi was set up correctly, Jo left to go print signs to post so she could advertise it. Meg came up a few minutes later slightly out of breath and slid a ginger ale in front of her.

 

“Hey, Claire! I'm gonna be a few more minutes, _someone's_ late to work again and I have to wait until she gets here before I can go on my lunch break.

 

Claire waved her off, sipping her drink. Today was one of her days off and she had already completed her school assignments for the week, so she decided to take advantage of the new wifi and work on her baby Pinterest board while she waited on Meg.

 

In hindsight, Claire thought she should have realized that her new found peace and satisfaction with her life couldn't last forever.

 

A few minutes after Meg walked away, she heard Lisa's fake laughter as the waitress sauntered through the door on the arm of a much younger, and slightly familiar man. Claire smothered a gasp when she realized who the man was and, before she could think it through, slid quickly beneath the table to sit on the floor out of sight.

 

She couldn't make out what they were saying, but that familiar Scottish brogue had her face flushing. How could he be here? He told Claire that he lived in a different country!

 

Meg's face suddenly appeared.

 

“Claire? Whatcha doing down there?” Her voice sounded teasing, but there was real concern in her eyes.

 

“I-I c-can't let h-him see m-me,” she whispered, her entire body trembling.

 

The waitress grabbed Claire's arm and pulled her out from under the table as she whispered back, “he can't see you from his spot at the bar. C'mon we'll go out the back.”

 

The teenager allowed her friend to maneuver her outside and into Meg's truck in the back employee parking lot. Once safely inside with the air going, Meg asked her to wait and disappeared back into the restaurant.

 

Claire's brain had shorted out at the sight of _him_ and all she could do was place her trembling hands over the very small, but firm bulge in her abdomen. This couldn't be happening.

 

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when a hummer suddenly pulled up next to her and Sam Winchester got out. The lawyer walked over to the truck and opened the passenger door, frowning down at her in concern.

 

“Claire? Meg said you had a panic attack or something. Do you need me to get your dad?” He asked, gently.

 

Claire shook her head vigorously. She was not ready for that conversation. A conversation she had thought she would never have to have...

 

She kind of zoned out after that. One minute she was in Meg's truck the next Sam was lifting her out of the Hummer and carrying her through the front door of her own house to place her gently on the couch. He went to the kitchen and came back a moment later with a glass full of juice.

 

Claire took a few sips as Sam just sat and watched her patiently. He had always been easy to talk to, and due to his witnessing her parents divorce, already knew most of her secrets anyway. So she decided to go ahead and confide in him.

 

“I didn't typically go to parties that weren't at one of my friends' houses, but my mother was out of town with Uncle Michael and I couldn't bear being at home alone with my dad. So when they called me and said they found an abandoned warehouse at the edge of town they were going to party at I jumped at the chance,” Claire paused to take another sip of juice.

 

Sam didn't say anything so she continued. “Gavin's dad was in town for some business that he had with one of my friend's dad. He was only here for that weekend and then he'd be going back home to Scotland. I-I liked his accent and hearing him talk about his country and the things he liked to do. Then someone gave me a drink that obviously had been spiked, but that didn't stop me from drinking it.”

 

She dropped her gaze to the floor, feeling tears sting her eyes at remembering her own stupidity. A warm hand came to rest on her shoulder and squeezed in encouragement.

 

“I don't remember a lot after that. Just begging him not to leave me and then lying to him about my age so that he would... stay with me...” her face flushed red again, and she kept her gaze on the carpet.

 

“I woke up in the back of a police car. I didn't find out I was pregnant for another month and at that point he was long gone.”

 

Claire hadn't even realized that she was crying until Sam pulled her to him in a hug. Her tears drenched his shirt and she felt him rest his chin on top of her head. She allowed herself to cry for a little while as she hadn't in several weeks. It was cathartic, and Sam made her feel safe. She really hoped that things stayed good between him and her uncle as Claire was getting used to him being in her life.

 

When she had quieted down and sat back from Sam's embrace he finally spoke.

 

“He's Gavin Crowley, Mr. Crowley's son.”

 

Claire's jaw dropped in shock. “Seriously?! The 'Mr. Crowley' your boss, who practically owns the whole town?!” She demanded, horrified.

 

Sam nodded, looking at her sympathetically. “His mother kicked him out, so he's not going anywhere for a while.”

 

Claire shook her head, “NO! He can't be here! He just can't...”

 

She started crying again and Sam sighed as he pulled her into another hug.

 

“You will have to tell your dad, Claire. I can be there if you want me to be, but we can't keep this from him. You also need to decide what you want to tell the Crowleys,” he said when she had quieted again.

 

She took a moment to think about that.

 

“Yes, I do need to tell my dad. I don't know if you should be there though. But why would I need to say anything to the Crowleys?”

 

“Claire you are a minor and Gavin just turned nineteen. Your parents could press charges against him for this,” he said, and Claire turned very white.

 

“Breathe Claire!” He demanded and after she took a deep gasping breath, put the juice back into her hands.

 

When she could breathe again, she obediently gulped the juice.

 

“I'm not trying to scare you Claire, but you need to prepare yourself for that possibility. Not to mention that Gavin Crowley may not be the smartest person in town, but I doubt he'll have much trouble doing the math when he finds out that you are pregnant.”

 

Claire shivered, then stilled as there was a knock at the door.

 

Sam turned to her and put a finger to his lips, urging her to be quiet while he peeked through one of the curtained windows to see who it was.

 

“It's Meg,” he said, raising an eyebrow in a silent question and Claire sighed with relief, nodding.

 

“Yes, please let her in.”

 

Sam opened the door and Meg rushed past him pushing bags of food from Jo's into his hands as she hurried to Claire and gathered the girl into her arms.

 

“It's him, isn't it? Mr. Baby Daddy?” The waitress demanded and Claire snorted at the name.

 

She looked up from Meg's embrace to see Sam grin down at her affectionately and for the first time since she saw Gavin walk into Jo's, Claire felt as if things might actually be alright. No matter what happened, she knew that she wouldn't be alone.

 

-

 

Sam left Claire in Meg's care and headed toward town. He had a meeting in an hour and could really use a little prep time, but when he came across a familiar dirt road that he hadn't been down in a long time, he turned onto it. He couldn't say why, but he suddenly felt a burning need to drive the two miles down it and take the sharp left that would lead him to the Kentan Cemetery.

 

When he reached a wide area of gravel that served as a parking lot he was surprised to see an old pick-up truck. Sam was even more surprised to see that the truck's owner was standing over his father's grave.

 

“Hey there. Can I help you?” Sam called out as he hurried over.

 

The man was young, probably early twenties. Skinny, with a smattering of freckles over his nose and shaggy dark blonde hair. He looked up at Sam, startled, but shook his head and turned back to the grave stone.

 

“I don't mean to disturb you, but this is my father's grave. Did you know him?” Sam asked, warily.

 

The man blinked and turned to stare at Sam with new interest.

 

“No. But I should have. You see, he was my father too.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	13. Hugs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Secrets are told. Relationships progress. Sam gets drunk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all thanks so much for all the comments and Kudos. I'm so glad that people are enjoying this story. I was really excited to reveal the identity of the baby daddy last chapter, as that was one of the first things I had decided when beginning to write this story. I hadn't intended on taking 12 chapters to do so, but it is what it is. 
> 
> Sam is a bit ooc this chapter due to shock and alcohol. I'm not entirely happy with him, but I need to move this along. Hope you enjoy, some Sabriel comfort. ;D

Sam had missed his afternoon meeting. Crowley called him into his office the second he stepped through the door.

The young lawyer was still in shock from all the events of the morning and just plopped down into one of the chairs across from his boss. 

Crowley was furiously pacing around the room as he ranted and raved. It took him a moment to realize that Sam was not listening to a word he said. He pounded his fist on the desk to get Sam's attention and demanded an explanation. 

“I went to my dad's grave and met a brother I didn't know I had,” he blurted out.

A moment of silence passed and then Crowley slumped down into his chair. 

“Well, I guess as far as excuses go, that's a pretty good one,” he admitted grudgingly.

Sam just shrugged helplessly opening and shutting his mouth a few times unsure of what else to say. What else should he say?

Crowley got to his feet and pulled a decanter of whiskey out of a cabinet behind the desk. He poured some into two tumblers and offered Sam one. They continued on in silence, just sipping the whiskey for a few moments.

“When you're done with that, go home Sam. Better yet, go talk to Dean. Take the afternoon and get your head on straight. I've rescheduled the meeting for tomorrow afternoon at two. Don't be late.” Crowley said sternly, breaking the silence.

Sam thought about it for a moment, and then nodded.

Part of him really wanted to tell his boss about Claire and Gavin, but he knew he needed to wait on Claire and Castiel to decide how they wanted to handle things. 

Sam downed the whiskey, and thanked Crowley before leaving. He could understand why a lot of people didn't like his boss, but he couldn't see how anyone would continue to feel that way after getting to know the man. 

The whiskey made him uncomfortably warm on the hot day, but he hadn't had that much so driving wasn't an issue. What he really wanted to do was go home, get out of the hot suit, and drink until the uncomfortable ache in his stomach went away. He wondered if Gabe would be able to join him.

He was almost to the auto shop when Claire called. 

“Hey Claire. Can I call you back? I've-”

“I need your help,” she said, interrupting him.

“Um, okay. What do you need?”

“So, I've thought a lot about how to handle things, and I think the first thing I have to do is figure out how to tell my dad,” she said.

He nodded, but then realized she couldn't see him.

“Yeah. That's probably best. What do you need me to do?”

“I need you to take my dad out tonight. Keep him busy while I talk to Uncle Gabe and Dean.”

Sam blinked, not expecting that.

“Claire, do you really think it's wise to tell them before you tell your dad?”

Claire was quiet for a moment.

“Uh, yeah. My dad is going to freak! At least if Dean and Uncle Gabe already know they can help me keep him calm,” she pointed out.

Sam sighed. “I don't know, Claire.”

“Please?”

-

Sam did not get to change out of his suit or go home. He went straight to the bakery. He told himself that with all the shock he just need a little sugar to pep him up, but really he wanted to see Gabe. 

Castiel was running the front, but waved for Sam to go on to the back where Gabe was busy baking. 

Just seeing the smaller man as he danced around the room grabbing ingredients and checking the pastries in the oven eased the tension he had been carrying around all morning. When the baker noticed Sam, his smile could rival the sun.

“Sammy! What brings you here?” He asked, obviously delighted.

Sam didn't think he had ever had anyone in his life that was always so genuinely happy to see him every time they met. It felt good. Really good.

He returned the smile without fighting it. He would lose that battle anyway. 

“I'm sorry to bother you at work Gabe,” he began, but the baker waved a hand flippantly.

“Please, you're no bother. Drop by anytime you want,” he insisted, wiping his flour covered hands on his apron. 

Sam nodded, an eyed the cooling rack that held a dozen chocolate chip cookies. 

“I've had a rough morning...” he tried again.

“...and needed cookie?” Gabe asked, grabbing a cookie with a napkin and giving it to him.   
Sam took in a shaky breath that made Gabriel pause. 

“... and needed to see my friend,” he said, eyes blurring with unshed tears.

The baker blinked at him, taken off guard, then seemed to give himself a shake. 

Gabriel plucked the cookie back out of Sam's hand and placed it on the counter. He swiftly untied the apron and threw it on the counter beside the cookie. Then he turned back to Sam and pulled the younger man up against him in a tight hug. 

Sam stiffened at first, then relaxed and wrapped his arms around the shorter man. He could count on one hand the number of hugs he had received in his life. Perhaps if his mother hadn't died when he was a baby that would be different. But she had died. And Dean and John Winchester had not been huggers. He felt a few tears slip from his eyes, but paid them no mind. Gabriel was warm and smelled like sugar, vanilla, and slightly of sweat. 

A timer went off on the oven, and Gabriel stilled as if debating whether or not he should let go. Sam laughed, stepping back from him. 

“Don't let them burn on my account,” he said, quickly wiping the tears from his face. 

Gabriel looked unsure, but went to the oven to pull a few pans of pastries out anyway.

“Do you want to talk about it?” the baker asked, quietly.

Sam shook his head. “Not now. Later.”

Gabriel nodded and returned the cookie to Sam who gratefully took a big bite. 

“Want to grab a drink after work?” Gabriel asked, boxing up the rest of the cookies.

“I wish I could, but I have to do something first. Maybe I could come by later tonight?” He asked, wanting to tell Gabriel everything, but knowing that he needed to let Claire talk to him first. 

Gabriel nodded and turned the conversation to the bakery and how he wanted to start playing around with his meringue recipe. Sam relaxed and listened to his friend ramble on. Eventually Sam realized that he was slowing Gabe down, and it was time for him to leave. 

He was forced to take the box of cookies and promise to come by for a late dinner before Gabe would let him go.

The traffic out front had died down and Sam stopped to talk with Castiel before he left. 

“Hey Cas? Could you meet me at Jo's when you get off work? I need to talk to you about something,” he asked, trying to be nonchalant. He didn't know what he would do if Castiel refused. 

The blue eyed man tilted his head as he studied Sam's face. He looked toward the back where Gabriel was still working then back at Sam, slightly confused. 

“Um, wouldn't you rather talk to Gabriel?” He asked, finally.

Sam shook his head. “No, I need to talk to you. Do you mind?”

“No, I don't mind. I'll be there just after six,” he promised, though he looked uneasy.

“Great! See you then!”

-  
Sam found himself with three hours to kill. He should have gone home and changed, maybe grab a quick nap, but he didn't. He went to Jo's and watched the ball game while drinking beer and doing shots. By the time Castiel joined him, Sam was beyond buzzed. 

If he hadn't been so hammered, he might have noticed how nervous Castiel seemed. 

The man, who wore a trench coat despite the heat, joined Sam in a booth and asked the waitress for a beer. 

“Cas! It's Castiel! Hi Cas,” Sam said waving enthusiastically.

Castiel looked around anxiously. “I told Gabriel about this. He was not happy.”

Sam shook his head. “Gabe is always happy. Happy, happy, Gabe.”

Castiel blinked and leaned forward. “Sam, are you drunk?”

Sam seemed to consider that for a moment, then nodded. “Yep!”

“Sam, I need you to know that while Dean and I are taking things slow, I am very happy with him,” he said, earnestly.

The lawyer smiled and nodded vaguely.

“Cas, I have a brother,” he announced suddenly.

“Yes, Sam. I know. I'm dating him. Which is why you asking me out tonight was inappropriate,” Castiel said, slowly.

“No, no Cas. I have another brother! I found him in the cemetery today.”

Castiel didn't say anything, just stared at Sam like he'd lost his mind. It was this look that finally broke through Sam's alcoholic haze and prompted him to try to be more coherent. Besides, Castiel looked like he wanted to leave, and it wouldn't be good for him to get home before Claire finished talking to Dean and Gabriel.

“Apparently my dad had a one night stand with his mom a couple of years after my mom died. His name is Adam Mulligan and he just turned nineteen. His mother refused to tell him who his dad was, but it was in a letter she left him when she died a couple of months ago. And now I'm not the baby anymore. And I have to tell Dean. You'll help me tell him, right?” He said without taking a breath. 

Castiel relaxed back into his seat, nodding as Sam's words sunk in. 

Sam smiled and watched as Castiel pulled out his cell phone. 

The man held up a finger silently asking Sam to give him a minute. 

“Gabe? I was wrong. This is not a date,” Castiel said into the phone.

Sam just frowned, confused.

-

“Yeah, I kind of figured that out. Sorry for getting upset on you earlier. See you soon, Cas,” Gabriel said, disconnecting the call and turning back to look at Claire and Dean. 

Gabe and Dean were on the couch with Claire standing in front of them.

“And you are sure that it's him? I mean you admitted that you had a pretty strong drink...” Dean trailed off at the angry look the teenager was giving him.

“I'm positive that it's him.”

Gabe swallowed, worrying about the damage this would do to his brother. Everything had been going so well lately. Things like this made him miss Kali. She had never been tactful or very easy to get along with, but she was furiously loyal and made a formidable opponent to anyone who threatened her family and friends. She would have known exactly what to do. 

He thought of Sam and felt a small bubble of hope. He had assumed that after Sam had practically cried on him then asked his brother out, that the lawyer had discovered he liked Castiel. The very thought had been devastating. But now he realized that Sam had been asked by Claire to keep Castiel busy to they could have this chat without him. 

Gabriel's thoughts swirled in a confusing mass. Sam wasn't in love with Castiel. Sam would know how to fix this latest blow to his family. When Claire turned so that her shirt stretched across her front he could see the beginnings of a rounded bump. Crowley's hoodlum son was his niece's baby daddy. If he added a tsp. more of vanilla to his meringue would that be too much?

It took a moment for him to realize that Claire and Dean had stopped talking and were staring at him in concern. He lowered his eyes to the floor and shrugged. 

“I'll be here if you want, Claire. But I don't know how much help I'll be..” 

He let out a startled breath when she suddenly lunged forward and hugged him, hard.

“I'm so sorry about all of this, Uncle Gabe. You don't have to say or do anything. I just want you to be here, okay?”

He patted her on the back, and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “I can do that.”

Dean sighed and got to his feet.

“Where are you going?” Claire asked him, anxiety creeping into her voice. 

He turned and held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Just getting your dad's vodka. I'm not going leave Claire, I promise.”

She sighed in relief and sat next to Gabriel, snuggling up to his side.

“Uncle Gabe?” She asked after a moment. “Yes?”

“I'm glad you are here.”

-

Sam and Castiel showed up about half an hour later. Claire and Gabe were both dismayed to see how drunk Sam was. Dean thought it was funny. Until he realized that Sam must be really upset to drink like that, and that meant there must be something else going on. 

Claire waited until Dean and Gabe had Castiel sitting between them on the couch before dropping the bombshell. 

Castiel went still as he absorbed this new obstacle, but remained calm. 

He turned to Sam, who was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room, watching everything intently.

“Did you know? Is this why you had me meet you at Jo's? The whole thing about your brother was made up?” He demanded, quietly.

Sam shook his head as he stumbled to his feet and practically fell on top of Castiel.

“No, no, no, no, shh, shh,” he muttered, holding a finger to Castiel's lips. 

Dean's eyes narrowed, Claire's eyebrows raised, and Gabe tilted his head.

“You made something up about me?” Dean demanded. 

“Not you! Not everything is about you, Dean,” Sam said, sarcastically.

Claire bit back a smile, suddenly glad that Sam was drunk and taking everyone's attention off of her. 

In the end, Dean and Clare led the odd conversation back to Claire's problem. It was decided that they would not say anything to either of the Crowley's yet. Perhaps they wouldn't have to at all. No one knew for sure how long Gavin would be in town or even if he remembered Claire. They would take it one day at a time and all four men would be ready to run interference for Claire should anything happen. 

Castiel had taken everything much better than Claire had thought he would. But that only meant he'd probably freak out over something else later. 

Deciding not to dwell on things she had no control over, Claire went up to her room to call Meg. Dean lured Castiel back to his place wagging the bottle of vodka as incentive and Sam followed Gabriel into the kitchen to watch him cook dinner.

Sam sat at the bar while Gabriel chopped vegetables for a stir-fry. As the older man cooked, Sam told him about Adam. Gabriel had to turn off the fire under the food so he could hug the younger man again, letting him sob into his shirt. 

After he was cried out, Sam spent the next hour apologizing while Gabriel finished dinner. After telling Sam for the tenth time that he had nothing to be sorry for, Gabriel started to ignore him.

Sam finally shut up when Claire joined them for dinner, adding her own apologies for the tumultuous day. 

The three were exhausted when the meal was done and the dishes clean. Gabriel received a text informing him that Castiel would not be home that night. He smiled despite everything, hoping that this meant things were going well for Dean and Castiel. 

Sam yawned, much more sober now that time had passed and he had a good meal in him. 

He wished Claire and Gabriel a good night and was about to leave when he suddenly turned back to Gabriel.

“I don't want to go home. What if they're having sex?”

Claire let out a squeak and hurried up the stairs, while Gabriel laughed.

“Stay here then,” Gabriel said, with a tired laugh.

Sam narrowed his eyes, finally seeing how worn out his friend was. He suddenly felt selfish for his actions today. Yes, Sam had had a stressful day, but so had Gabriel. 

“I'm sorry, Gabe, I haven't been very good friend today,” Sam admitted.

“I told you, you have nothing to apologize for,” Gabriel said, then yawned. “Look, I'm beat. I'm going to bed. You are welcome to stay here. Cassie's bed is available...” he offered.

Sam nodded and impulsively decided to pull Gabriel into another hug. 

“Goodnight, Gabe.” 

“Goodnight, Sam.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up next, Claire comes face to face with Gavin, Adam is invited to dinner, and Dean & Cas take a step. The rating will increase either next chapter or the one after.


	14. Smile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the revelations of the day, Castiel decides he would rather do something different than talk or drink. Later Sam tells Dean about Adam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notice the rating has gone up.   
> Kind of nervous about this one. I've never been comfortable writing sex scenes, especially m/m, so my apologies if it's awful. I'm using this fic to push myself into writing things outside of my comfort zone. This is actually the first AU fic I've ever written. :D

Castiel's mind was in turmoil as he followed Dean across the street to the Winchesters' house. He was overwhelmed by all he found out, and he was torn between wanted to discuss everything with Dean or drowning his problems in vodka.

 

A knot formed in his stomach as he realized that he couldn't discuss things with Dean. Sam had not yet had the chance to talk to his brother about Adam and Castiel was afraid that it would come up. He didn't want to lie to Dean, but it wasn't his place to tell.

 

They entered the house and went to the kitchen, Castiel sliding into a chair while Dean headed to the refrigerator.

 

Castiel had only been over to Dean's house a few times since they decided to become 'more than friends'. The mechanic, despite having more help at the shop, put in a lot of hours. Castiel worked late nearly every night to help Gabriel keep the bakery going. They were both in the kind of business that didn't close on the weekends, or ever really, and finding time to spend together was not easy.

 

A quick lunch here and there was pretty much all they got, as Gabriel, Sam, and Claire usually ate dinner with them. There always seemed to be people around, and neither was very comfortable with PDA. The intimate moments they had shared since their kisses at the creek had been nothing more than a few chaste kisses and longer than appropriate for 'just friends' hugs.

 

“You want to drink it straight, or mix it with something? I think Sammy has some juice in here somewhere,” Dean said, leaning over and searching through bottles at the bottom.

 

Castiel was unable to respond, mouth going dry at the sight of Dean's rear, work-pants stretched tight as he leaned further into the refrigerator.

 

No, Castiel didn't want to talk or drink. He wanted to do something else.

 

Dean turned with a triumph smile as he brandished a half empty bottle of orange juice, but jumped in surprise when he saw that Castiel had come over to stand right behind him.

 

“No Dean, I don't want to drink,” Castiel said, intentionally lowering his voice. He smirked when Dean gasped and flushed at the sound.

 

Castiel grabbed the bottle of juice out of Dean's hand and put it back into the refrigerator. Then he turned and backed the mechanic into the counter attacking the other man's lips as his hands ran up Dean's arms to caress his shoulders.

 

Dean froze for a second, then moved his hands to rest on Castiel's waist, tugging him closer by his belt loops. Castiel sighed in approval and continued his assault on Dean's mouth.

 

After a moment Dean had to pull back and take a breath. He let out a groan as Castiel began trailing wet kisses down his neck to the base of his throat.

 

“Cas, don't you think...” he began, but Castiel cut him off with another deep kiss to his mouth, nipping at his lower lip when he pulled back a moment later.

 

“I don't want to think, or talk, or even drink,” he murmured, slipping a hand down to caress that perfect ass he'd been ogling a few moments before.

 

“What do you want?” Dean asked huskily. His green eyes closed with a moan as Castiel return to suck at his neck.

 

Castiel thought of Amelia, and how fragile she had acted during sex. She had always immediately protested anything that hinted at him being aggressive or taking charge in any way. He hadn't minded letting her lead things mostly, but occasionally he liked to try new things. She would never go for it. As if Castiel would ever hurt her or do anything she didn't want him to.

 

He resolutely pushed her from his mind, deciding to let go and do what he wanted.

 

“You. I want you,” he said, then bit down hard enough to bruise. Dean let out a strangled gasp, and Castiel let go and stepped away afraid if he'd crossed a line.

 

Suddenly he was being manhandled down the hall to the living room, Dean holding tightly to his arms practically dragging him along. When they reached the room, Dean started ripping Castiel's clothes off. His coat fell to the floor followed by his dress shirt, now missing a few buttons. Before he could protest the rough treatment of his clothes, Dean pushed him down on the sofa and dropped to his knees between Castiel's legs.

 

“Damn, Cas, you have no idea how long I've wanted to do this,” Dean said with a moan, moving his hands to unzip the other man's pants.

 

Castiel only just stopped himself from protesting, remembering how repulsive the idea of a blow job was to Amelia. But he made himself stop and study Dean's face, hissing as the mechanic freed his erection from the confines of his pants and boxers.

 

Dean did not look repulsed at all. He took Castiel in hand, looking like a kid at Christmas. He looked up at him with a grin and saucy wink, before suddenly taking Castiel into his mouth.

 

All thoughts flew from Castiel's mind at the feel of the hot wetness around him. At some point he slipped his hands into Dean's short hair, first gently rubbing his scalp then tugging as the sensations became more intense.

 

The harder he tugged, the more Dean moaned, obviously turned on by the rougher treatment. Still, Castiel did not want to go too far and took a breath to try and regain some control. As if in response to feeling Castiel pull back a little, Dean suddenly moved in closer. Castiel let out a gasp as he felt his dick hit the back of the mechanic's throat and groaned as Dean swallowed.

 

It was pretty much over for Castiel at that point. He came, shooting hot spurts down Dean's throat, groaning as the mechanic continued sucking.

 

He would never have guessed what a turn on it would be to taste himself on Dean's lips as they shared a wet, sloppy kiss.

 

With Dean's help, he managed to stumble his way into the bedroom flopping down on the bed as the other man continued to remove Castiel's clothes and then stood up to remove his own.

 

Castiel watched Dean, struggling against the exhaustion that threatened to claim him as the long day caught up to him.

 

Dean seemed to understand, and soon they were both in bed sharing lazy kisses and caresses as Castiel tugged and pumped Dean's erection. The mechanic could do nothing but moan and writhe as Castiel whispered encouragement between kisses and small bites to Dean's throat. Castiel kept up a steady rhythm, and soon Dean tensed and came over Castiel's hand.

 

 

After taking a quick moment to clean themselves up, they were snuggled in bed with Dean spooning Castiel. He vaguely remembered Dean asking him a question, but sleep quickly claimed him. It was the best night sleep he'd had in months.

 

-

 

Dean and Castiel spent a blissful morning together lounging in bed then sharing a shower. They both cooked breakfast made a huge mess, cleaned it all up, then took another shower together. It was after ten before Dean dropped Castiel off at the bakery.

 

Castiel hesitated, taking note of the small crowd of people milling around shops then looked back at Dean and shrugged. Giving Dean a smile that rivaled the sun, he leaned over and kissed him quickly but firmly.

 

“See you tonight,” Castiel said and turned to leave.

 

Dean looked at the people around them. A couple of women were staring at him in open mouthed shock. One older man and woman were smiling at him, and no one else seemed to be paying any attention at all. He waved at the 'shocked' ladies and headed for his shop.

 

Claire greeted him with a knowing smile, and started giggling at him later when he began whistling as worked. The day passed smoothly, and soon it was time to start locking up and head home.

 

Garth had been working very hard, and Dean was planning to give him a promotion and a raise. The fact that he had come in this morning after receiving Dean's text twenty minutes before time to open really helped his case.

 

He sang along to the radio on the short drive home, and then headed inside to change before he went to the Novak's for dinner. He was surprised to find Sam waiting on him in the kitchen.

 

“Hey Dean, how was work?” His brother asked, peeling the label off a beer bottle.

 

This couldn't be good.

 

“It was fine Sam, what's going on?” He asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorway.

 

“I have something to tell you and I'm not sure how you're going to take it...” Sam began.

 

“Is this about me and Cas? Look, I'm sorry you felt like you had to stay over there last night...” Dean started but Sam interrupted him with a laugh.

 

“No, Dean! I'm perfectly fine with you and Cas hooking up over here. Just give me warning in the future if you can. Gabe has offered to let me keep some clothes over there just in case.”

 

Dean's entire posture relaxed.

 

“Oh. Well, better pack a bag tonight Sammy,” he said, giving his brother a wink.

 

Sam huffed and Dean grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator before joining his brother at the table.

 

“So, if it's not about me and Cas, is it about you and Gabe? Cause you know I'm cool with it right?” He said, popping the bottle top off.

 

“What? No! Gabe and I are just friends,” Sam insisted, but turned very red. Dean just grinned at him. “Sure, okay. Just friends...”

 

Sam cleared his throat and frowned.

 

“No Dean, I'm trying to tell you that we have a little brother.”

 

“What?” Dean blinked, sure he hadn't heard that right.

 

“I went by Dad's grave on my lunch break yesterday and he was there. His name is Adam Mulligan. Apparently Dad met his mom at a bar when he and Bobby went on that fishing excursion in Louisiana a couple of years after mom died.”

 

Dean took a moment to process that before snorting.

 

“Yeah right. What's he after, money?” Sam frowned.

 

“Right, cause we're loaded,” he said, sarcastically.

 

Dean took a swig of his beer, not sure what to say. The brothers sat in silence for a moment.

 

“We really have a little brother?” Dean finally broke the silence several minutes later.

 

Sam nodded. “I'm pretty sure he's legit. I mean, he looks a lot like Dad in the face.”

 

Dean nodded absently, feeling a wave of fresh pain that came from missing his father.

 

“So what's he want?”

 

Sam shrugged.

 

“I think he wants to know us. His mom just passed and he only found out about who Dad was from a letter she left him. He's nineteen. That's really all I know. That and he's supposed to have dinner with us Sunday night.”

 

“Dinner? Here?” Dean asked, an unknown fear gripping at him.

 

Sam shook his head.

 

“No, I think it would be better to do it at Gabe's. He, Cas, and Claire can take some of the pressure off. Unless you want it to just be the three of us?” Sam asked, suddenly unsure.

 

Dean frowned.

 

“No, I like your idea better,” he admitted.

 

The sat in silence again after that. Sam broke it with a sigh.

 

“I'm sorry for knocking the smile off of your face,” he said.

 

Dean waved it away, focusing on the uncomfortable knot that had formed in the pit of his stomach.

 

“So, I should still pack a bag? You and Cas want the house to yourselves tonight?” Sam asked.

 

And just like that, Dean's smile returned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the family dinner. Plus Claire's promised 'run-in' with Gavin.
> 
> I'm not sure when it will be up. I've started a couple of other fics, which will slow this one down a bit, but I promise I won't abandon it.


End file.
